EnSync, Inc. announced its entry into the California marketplace by signing a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the State of California. The project, on which EnSync Energy has partnered with Solar Energy Fields, will be a 500-kilowatt solar installation at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) training facility in Ione, California. Under the multi-party agreement, EnSync Energy will build a solar canopy over the parking lot of the academy's new dormitory. The academy is used to train team leaders for California firefighting groups. The canopy will keep parked cars cool and reduce the heat island effect, while generating clean energy for the facility. This solar project is the result of Governor Brown's 2012 executive order (B-18-12) mandating green building standards, as well as advancements in energy technologies that continue to make renewable power more accessible. In California and other states with rigorous environmental standards, both policy and technology have facilitated the increased use of distributed energy, which is often renewable and potentially lowers costs. The new CAL FIRE project demonstrates EnSync Energy's successful expansion into the California market, which started with the opening of its North America sales office in Petaluma, California, one year ago. Offering the entire DER solution with PPA financing puts EnSync Energy in a unique competitive position in California. The CAL FIRE project is one of many opportunities that has been identified and added to EnSync Energy's growing project pipeline in California. To develop a high-value PPA, EnSync Energy evaluated the anticipated energy needs on the academy campus and found that a photovoltaic installation consolidated onto a canopy – rather than decentralized installations on individual building roofs – would both reduce installation costs and maximize solar energy output.