Biz News: Irvine office tower installs Tesla batteries

An office tower at 20 Pacifica in Irvine had 16 Tesla Powerpack battery systems installed Thursday, each weighing 4,000 pounds.

The 15-story tower near the Irvine Spectrum Center got the first installation in what will be “a fleet of Irvine Co. hybrid-electric buildings that will be used for grid support by Southern California Edison,” according to an Irvine Co. news release.

The Irvine Co. partnered with Advanced Microgrid Solutions on the effort, which is intended to reduce energy demand on local utilities during peak periods, ease the need for more power plants and reduce electricity costs, according to a news release.

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Ice cream sandwich company expands service

Drive Me Cookie, a Costa Mesa-based ice cream sandwich company, recently started its “table top” service, in which the company sets up its equipment so customers can create custom ice cream sandwiches on the spot.

“This is something we recently started because of demand,” Andrew Compton, Drive Me Cookie’s marketing coordinator, said in an email. “People wanted a way to have our product at their events without having to have people walk out to our truck, so we wanted to meet their requests in the best way possible.”

Drive Me Cookie was founded in 2012.

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Volcom named a coastal defender

Volcom was recently named a Surf Industry Coastal Defender by the Surfrider Foundation.

The Costa Mesa-based company was included in the foundation’s new initiative that “allows companies within the surf industry to join forces to support Surfrider’s efforts to protect the world’s ocean, waves and beaches,” according to a Volcom news release.

On Dec. 14, for Green Monday, Volcom donated a portion of purchases toward the foundation.

—From staff reports