Stored Power Technology (SPT), a pioneering manufacturer of AI-powered solar battery systems, officially opened its new headquarters in Riverside on Tuesday, marking another milestone in the city's ambitious plan to establish itself as a global center for clean and sustainable technology.
The energy storage company, which relocated from Corona in January, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new facility at 2990 Myers St., drawing city officials, state representatives and participants in the accompanying “Future Forward: Energy Management Innovation Challenge.”
“When you choose Riverside, Riverside chooses you,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson told the gathering, emphasizing the city's commitment to supporting clean tech companies. “We will make sure you are successful. We will give you the resources you need to be successful.”
SPT specializes in comprehensive energy management solutions that integrate AI-controlled hardware with sophisticated software systems. The company’s holistic approach combines lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery storage units with proprietary artificial intelligence software that continuously optimizes energy flow. Its systems work with solar panels to automatically adjust power consumption based on weather patterns, grid conditions and user behavior, with the AI making thousands of micro-decisions to maximize efficiency.
AI Solving its Own Energy Problem
Dr. Alex Liu, SPT’s CEO and former IBM chief data scientist, addressed a fundamental irony in the tech industry during Tuesday’s ceremony: While AI companies consume “unbelievable amounts of energy,” AI itself may hold the key to solving this very problem.
“On the one hand, there’s a problem,” Liu acknowledged, referring to the massive energy demands of AI data centers that have become a growing environmental concern. “On the other hand, energy and AI are a power couple. Together they can change the world.”
Liu, who leads SPT’s newly launched Energy AI Lab, explained that SPT is essentially using AI to solve AI’s own shortfalls — developing intelligent software systems that control and optimize hardware components so efficiently that they can offset the technology sector’s growing power demands. The company’s integrated approach means the AI doesn’t just monitor energy usage; it actively controls inverters, manages battery charging cycles and coordinates with solar panels to create a unified, intelligent energy management system.
“We want to take a different approach, something more human and essential, more community-centered,” Liu said, distinguishing SPT’s mission from the billion-dollar AI investments that he suggested create “monsters” of energy consumption.
Building Riverside’s Tech Ecosystem
The relocation represents more than just a corporate move — it’s part of Riverside’s strategic transformation into a sustainable technology hub. Mayor Lock Dawson, who identified Riverside as a potential “global center for clean and green tech” during her MBA studies at Claremont Graduate University, noted that the city possesses all the key ingredients for success: supportive government policies, UC Riverside as an R1 research university and a growing cluster of innovative companies.
“As a UCR graduate myself, I watched many young people leave Riverside because they didn’t have opportunities here,” Lock Dawson said. “Thank you for making opportunities for our young people to stay here.”
SPT has already established a partnership with UC Riverside’s Office of Technology Partnerships and Center for Environmental Research & Technology, focusing on collaborative research, workforce development and product innovation.
Innovation Challenge Showcases Future Talent
The ribbon-cutting coincided with the “Future Forward: Energy Management Innovation Challenge: Riverside Edition,” which brought together students, researchers and industry professionals to explore the intersection of AI and clean energy.
“It’s not just one person like me, but actually everybody working together,” Liu explained. “From students from the city, community, companies — we will utilize AI and energy to hopefully together make a great impact.”
Innovation Through Integration
The company’s current offerings showcase this integrated approach, including the SPT 3800 Series with battery options ranging from 10 kWh to 20 kWh capacity, AI-controlled inverters and a comprehensive software platform accessible through a mobile app for system monitoring and control. SPT has launched version 1.0 of its AI control system, the brain that orchestrates all hardware components, with version 2.0 planned for release in the coming months.
“The AI technology is what transforms traditional battery storage into an intelligent energy ecosystem,” the company emphasizes, with its SPT Energy AI Lab focusing on advancing capabilities in microgrid control, power forecasting and intelligent battery management systems.
Growing Green Tech Presence
SPT joins a growing roster of clean technology companies choosing Riverside as their base of operations. The city’s economic development team, including Director Jennifer Lilley and Deputy Director Miranda Evans, were present at the ceremony to demonstrate the city’s ongoing support for the sector.
Representatives from state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes’ office and Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo’s office also attended, presenting certificates of recognition to the company.
The relocation and ceremony underscore Riverside’s evolution from a city that once watched its educated workforce leave for opportunities elsewhere to one actively creating those opportunities at home — particularly in the rapidly growing sustainable technology sector.
More information: To learn more about Stored Power Technology, visit sptus.com and about business opportunities in Riverside, visit riversideca.gov.
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