Mission Rock

Mission Rock

Achieving Net-Zero for San Francisco Bay Development

Mission Rock is a key gateway development and one of the most prominent undeveloped sites in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. The sustainability vision for Mission Rock is for 100% of the energy use to come from renewable sources and for the buildings to be highly efficient. Additional commitments include zero use of potable water for non-potable purposes. To achieve this vision, the San Francisco Giants are collaborating with Tishman Speyer, the City of San Francisco, the San Francisco Port Commission, and Ever-Green to develop and implement options for sustainable, resilient, reliable, and cost-effective energy and water solutions.

District Energy System

Ever-Green guided the technical and development partners through the design of a diverse and adaptable system, centered on the use of bay water exchange to heat and cool buildings. The proximity of the project site to the San Francisco Bay provides the opportunity to utilize a bay water exchange system for both cooling and heating at Mission Rock.

The bay water temperature will typically range from 50°F – 62°F throughout the year. At these temperatures, bay water can be used as condenser water for heat rejection from chillers and as a source of heat for water-source heat pumps that generate hot water for the project. This approach enables the site to be all-electric and reduce overall carbon emissions by 1,600 tons per year.

By replacing conventional cooling towers, the bay water exchange system conserves millions of gallons of water per year. Implementation of district energy for Mission Rock will be a key step towards achieving the environmental vision for the development, while providing building owners and tenants a lower and more stable cost of energy.

Black Water Recycling System

Ever-Green worked with the technical and site development partners as they developed the design for a black water recycling system that will recycle fifty thousand gallons per day of black water. Black water flows from the north half of the Mission Rock Development will flow through a pump station at Building B on the site, and a portion of that flow will be processed in the Black water Treatment Plant while the remainder will be pumped to the SFPUC sewer. Recycled water will be utilized for non-potable purposes such as irrigation and toilet flushing.

Ever-Green’s Role

Ever-Green Energy guided the project team through design and development of the systems. Ever-Green is developing, financing, and managing the water and energy systems, and providing technical oversight through design, construction, and start-up. Once the systems are up and running, Ever-Green will serve as the manager of the energy and recycled water systems, and as a technical advisor for both systems.

Milestones

  • 2016 – Research and planning phase
    commenced
  • 2020 – Construction commenced
  • 2021 – Groundbreaking commenced
  • 2023 – District energy service commenced