Costco took a Florida distribution centre off the grid with solar and batteries, and nobody said how big the system is
Trinity Energy says its on-site solar, battery and EV fleet charging system now powers Costco's whole Port St. Lucie distribution centre and can run independently of the grid. Microgrid Knowledge: a 1.87 million sq ft depot; Trinity did not reveal MW capacity.
A distribution centre full of chilled food cannot afford a blackout. Costco has decided one in Florida will not wait on the utility at all.
On 28 July 2026, Trinity Energy said it had launched an on-site energy platform at Costco's distribution centre in Port St. Lucie, Florida, combining solar, battery storage and electric fleet charging. Microgrid Knowledge reported on 30 July that the depot covers 1.87 million square feet and that the system is islandable, meaning it can run cut off from the wider grid.
Trinity says the system powers the entire facility, including lighting, refrigeration, EV charging and HVAC, and removes the site from the utility billing cycle while off grid. Costco energy manager Shay Reed said the system strengthens the site's reliability while avoiding additional burden on the utility grid. Microgrid Knowledge says Trinity works on five Costco microgrid sites: a warehouse in Connecticut and four distribution hubs.
Analogy: it is a farmhouse with its own well, pump and water tank. The mains pipe can be there or not. The taps keep running either way.
Good: a big-name retailer putting its own power behind a critical logistics site, with solar, storage and fleet charging designed as one system.
Bad: no MW, no MWh, no cost and no savings figure. A reader cannot size anything from this release.
Ugly: the release says off grid, while the trade press says islandable. Those are not the same thing. Without the details, nobody outside the deal can say how often the site actually runs alone.
Source: Business Wire via Morningstar, 28 Jul 2026 - Costco teams with Trinity Energy; Microgrid Knowledge, 30 Jul 2026 - Trinity Energy powers another Costco off grid.