• Lake Forest mixed-use office HOA secures ~20% energy cost savings, solar canopy shade, and a 50%-eligible investment tax credit – all with zero upfront capital through a Sunrock Distributed Generation PPA

LAKE FOREST, California – 5 August – The Rockfield Plaza Association, a commercial mixed-use office building HOA, has energized a 310-kilowatt (kW) rooftop and carport solar system, located at 23882 Rockfield Boulevard, transforming an active commercial plaza into a long-term clean energy asset.

Developed by WattHub Renewables, financed through a power purchase agreement (PPA) provided by Sunrock Distributed Generation, and built by SunRenu Solar, the project gives Rockfield Plaza Association the benefits of solar with no upfront capital investment and an estimated 20% discount compared to prevailing Southern California Edison (SCE)’s retail electricity rates. This is WattHub’s first domestic content project, exceeding the U.S. Treasury’s 45% Domestic Content threshold through the use of U.S.-made cells, inverters, and racking.

The 310 kW system is forecast to generate approximately 500,000 kWh of clean, renewable electricity each year, offsetting 100% of Rockfield Plaza’s annual electricity consumption. This is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by around 355 metric tons annually, equivalent to taking about 77 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road each year, or growing nearly 5,860 tree seedlings for a decade[1]. The system has received PTO and is currently operational.

Built in America, Built for Savings

Rockfield Plaza is WattHub’s first project built to meet the U.S. Treasury’s Domestic Content bonus requirements under the Inflation Reduction Act – and it hits that mark with room to spare:

• Longi solar modules featuring U.S.-manufactured solar cells
• SolarEdge domestic inverters and DC Power Optimizers
• Unirac RM10 domestic-manufactured racking system

Combined, these components push the project’s domestic content above the 45% threshold, qualifying the asset for stacked federal tax credits. Combined with the project’s Energy Community location and other bonus adders, the project may be eligible for an investment tax credit of 50%, subject to final review and confirmation by the project tax counsel.

The system is also grandfathered under NEM 2.0, preserving materially stronger interconnection economics than would be available to a comparable project permitted today.

More than Solar: A New Amenity for Tenants, Patients, and Staff

Beyond the energy economics, the Rockfield Plaza array also adds a visitor-facing amenity: a new solar parking canopy that provides shaded, all-weather parking for patients, tenants, and staff at the mixed-use office complex. The result is a long-term energy asset and a practical daily amenity. The canopy is architecturally integrated with the site and was engineered to meet The City of Lake Forest’s building and stormwater management requirements.

Statements from the Project Team

“Rockfield Plaza is a template for what commercial solar should look like in 2026 – American-made hardware, meaningful tax credits, new roof paper, and a customer who pays nothing upfront. Getting our first domestic content project through construction has been a company milestone for WattHub, and we are proud to have done it on a mixed-use office building that directly serves the community,” says Chris Leonard, CRO of WattHub Renewables.

“Sunrock structured this PPA to deliver a roughly 20% discount on the Association’s electricity costs from day one, without capital outlay or equipment maintenance responsibilities. Pairing that financial outcome with a domestic-content system created the right solution for the client and a strong model for the broader commercial solar market,” says Claire Broido-Johnson, President of Sunrock Distributed Generation.

“Permitting a 310 kW rooftop-and-carport system on an active medical plaza required careful coordination with The City of Lake Forest on building and stormwater requirements, and our field crews executed the entire scope, including the solar canopy structure, without disrupting the owners and tenants or their patients. We are extremely pleased with how the project turned out,” says Barry Coe, Principal of SunRenu Solar.

“Our members are both professional office owners and medical practitioners running busy offices – they don’t have time to manage an energy project or absorb big assessments. WattHub and Sunrock Distributed Generation delivered a structure that gives us immediate savings, a permanent parking amenity for our owners, their staff and patients, and no unexpected utility cost increases. It was the right decision for the Association,” says Ashley Cardo, Real Estate Manager with Pacific Coast Commercial Real Estate, agent for Rockfield Plaza Association.

Project Snapshot

• Site: Rockfield Plaza Association — 23882 Rockfield Boulevard, Lake Forest, CA 92630
• System size: 310 kW (DC) rooftop and carport solar PV
• Estimated annual production: ~502,000 kWh
• Utility: Southern California Edison (SCE)
• Modules: Longi with U.S.-manufactured cells
• Inverters / optimizers: SolarEdge
• Racking: Unirac RM10 (domestic)
• Domestic content: >45%
• Interconnection: Grandfathered NEM 2.0
• Tax credit eligibility: Up to 50% ITC (base + domestic content + applicable adders; subject to tax counsel confirmation)
• Structure: Power Purchase Agreement — zero upfront cost; ~20% discount to prevailing retail rates
• PPA provider / financier: Sunrock Distributed Generation
• Developer: WattHub Renewables
• EPC / builder: SunRenu Solar
• Status: Install complete; Permission to Operate (PTO) received; final commissioning underway

[1] U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator