IPSC Sees Solar, Battery Project Growth

IHI Power Services Corp., which manages power plants nationwide remotely from its base in Aliso Viejo, expects to be adding more solar and battery storage projects to its portfolio.

“We recently in Aliso Viejo spent quite a bit of money installing a remote operations center,” IPSC CEO and President John Keller said.

The company has about 30 employees there, with some who provide round-the-clock operations, while the nationwide headcount is about 700 and expected to reach 1,000 in the next few years.

The company manages conventional electricity production plants using natural gas, as well as renewable energy facilities including wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and battery storage, Keller told the Business Journal last month.

Keller spends about half his time in Aliso Viejo, and the rest at his home in New Jersey.IPSC manages plants producing a total of almost 15 gigawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 11 million homes.

“We’re a growing entity, with considerable growth in renewables and battery storage,” he said.

Solar, Batteries

IPSC is also contracted to manage plants that run on biofuels including organic matter-based biodiesel, sustainable aviation fuel, ethanol and renewable natural gas.

“Solar is a big part of what we do,” Keller said, including providing asset management services on Mammoth Solar in Indiana, which he said is the largest solar project in the country.

“We are one of the largest operators of battery storage projects,” he said, with more solar and battery operations “definitely” on the way. Battery projects store energy, which is then used to produce electricity for the huge grid when needed.

The work includes operating battery projects for IPSC’s sister company, IHI Terrasun. Many of Terrasun’s projects combine solar and battery use.

IPSC, founded in 2012, is the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese company IHI Corp., a heavy industrial manufacturing and services company.

The firm is primarily a manager of plants, now numbering over 50, but also owns three renewable biomass plants in California.

Aliso Viejo HQ

Most of the plants under management are on the East Coast, ranging from Delaware to New Hampshire and also including Ohio, Illinois, Texas and California. The names of the clients are confidential.

The company currently does not handle nuclear power.

The Aliso Viejo headquarters handles financing, accounting and executive functions, in addition to the remote functions. That includes physical security and cybersecurity at each location, according to Keller, who says the company is profitable.

IPSC in May said that Irvine resident Naoki Kono had been promoted to therole of vice president of commercial operations.

Now with more than a decade of experience, Kono began his career with parent company IHI Corp. in 2010.

He moved to the U.S. in 2021 to serve as IPSC’s business development manager.

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!