Frequently asked questions.

Project basics

"Where is the project located?"

Dirac is being built on an industrial-zoned parcel in Chino, directly adjacent to the Southern California Edison (SCE) Chino substation. The site currently hosts a warehouse footprint.

The location was selected because it sits next to the existing SCE Chino substation, which lets Dirac connect directly to the regional grid. The parcel meets local zoning and industrial-use requirements. The facility will be set back from the nearest homes per the City of Chino's zoning standards. Specific setback distances will be published as the project enters formal public review.

"What does an energy storage facility look like?"

A facility like Dirac is made up of large, modular units that look like shipping containers, arranged in rows on a fenced parcel. Sites like Dirac include security cameras and lighting, plus landscaping to screen the view from neighboring properties and roads.

Dirac will occupy roughly the same footprint as the warehouse currently on the site. Its visual impact is small compared with most other industrial uses allowed on this kind of parcel.

"What are the components of an energy storage system?"

Battery storage systems contain four main parts: batteries, inverters, transformers, and control systems.

The batteries store electricity. Inverters convert that electricity between AC and DC. Transformers adjust voltage levels to match what the grid requires. Control systems coordinate the charging and discharging in response to grid conditions. All components are enclosed in weather-proof metal containers on concrete or steel foundations.

"Does Dirac change the day-to-day for nearby residents?"

If anything, it makes it quieter.

Energy storage facilities generate so little traffic that they often produce fewer daily vehicle trips than a single-family home. Dirac is essentially unstaffed beyond a small maintenance crew, has no daily diesel truck traffic, and runs quietly behind a fence. There is no around-the-clock operations team, no loading docks, and no continuous deliveries. For most neighbors, living near Dirac will be quieter and lower-impact than living near the warehouse currently on the site.

Safety and design

"How safe are energy storage facilities?"

Very safe, and getting safer. Energy storage facilities are built to strict industry safety standards, monitored 24/7, and designed with the local fire authority before construction begins.

Dirac is built to the established national safety standards: UL 9540 and UL 9540A (testing and certification), NFPA 855 (fire safety and installation), and UL 1973 and UL 1741SB (battery and inverter safety). The site is monitored 24/7 by a remote operations center with secure access controls, and the Chino Valley Independent Fire Protection District is at the design table from the earliest engineering stages.

Those standards are working. Across the industry, the rate of storage incidents fell about 98% per unit of storage deployed between 2018 and 2024 (EPRI BESS Failure Incident Database). When incidents have occurred at modern, properly engineered systems, the design has contained them to a single enclosure.

"What makes lithium iron phosphate a preferred chemistry?"

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is the chemistry the utility-scale storage industry has standardized on, mainly because it is safer.

LFP is a type of lithium-ion battery known for its safety and reliability. It stays more stable at high temperatures than older lithium-ion chemistries (a quality called thermal stability), which means it is much less likely to overheat and catch fire. LFP also lasts longer, which is another reason most new utility-scale storage projects in California now use it.

"What about the energy storage incidents I have seen in the news?"

The incidents that have made the news involved an older battery chemistry and an enclosed, indoor design. Dirac uses neither.

Those older incidents involved nickel-manganese (NMC) batteries housed inside closed buildings, where heat and fumes were hard to manage. Dirac uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which stays more stable at high temperatures, and is built outdoors. The storage units are spaced apart, first responders have direct access from every approach, and the design keeps any single-unit overheating contained to that one enclosure.

The broader trend is reassuring: across the industry, the rate of storage incidents fell about 98% per unit of storage deployed between 2018 and 2024 (EPRI BESS Failure Incident Database), as modern designs and standards took hold. Aypa's Cald facility, which uses the same design approach as Dirac, has run since mid-2024 with a clean operational safety record. The Chino Valley Independent Fire Protection District is in consultation with the Aypa team now.

Project intent and ownership

"Is the project a data center, or connected to a data center in any way?"

No. Dirac is grid storage infrastructure, designed for the public grid, not for any single private customer.

The "precursor" claim has surfaced against other storage projects in Southern California. It is wrong for Dirac, for three reasons.

First, Dirac is wired for the public grid. It connects to the SCE Chino substation, so the stored power flows back to the regional grid for everyone in the service area. A data center, by contrast, would need a dedicated private connection to serve its own load. The two are not interchangeable.

Second, Aypa Power's entire business is energy storage. The company does not develop, build, or operate data centers. There is no data center business unit, no data center team, and no data center project anywhere in its portfolio.

Third, changing the use of this parcel would mean starting over with the city: a new application, a new CEQA environmental review, a new fire-authority consultation, and new public hearings. There is no shortcut from "approved energy storage facility" to "approved data center."

"Is this project connected to AI or data centers in any way?"

No.

Aypa Power is led by an independent board and a management team whose entire track record is in battery and renewable energy storage, with no data centers or AI infrastructure anywhere in its portfolio. Like most infrastructure developers at this scale, Aypa works with institutional investors, and those relationships provide the financial depth to build projects like Dirac properly, operate them safely, and meet every commitment made to the community. None of that changes what Dirac is: grid storage infrastructure.

Local concerns

"Will Dirac affect my air quality?"

An energy storage facility has one of the smallest air-quality footprints of any industrial use that could occupy this parcel.

Dirac has no on-site combustion, no daily diesel truck traffic, and no around-the-clock operations. The facility sits behind a fence, charges from the grid, and sends power back to the grid.

A full health risk assessment and air dispersion modeling study are part of the project's environmental review and will be published on this site as they are completed.

"Why does Chino need an energy storage project specifically?"

The Inland Empire grid is among the most heavily loaded in California, and storage projects near substations like Chino's directly improve reliability for Chino homes and businesses.

Electricity demand in Southern California is uneven. The grid is most strained on hot summer afternoons, when families come home and AC units turn on at once. The Inland Empire is especially load-heavy: population growth and warehouse buildout have outpaced grid expansion. A 400-megawatt storage facility at the SCE Chino substation is part of how California is closing that gap.

When the regional grid is stressed, Dirac sends power into the SCE Chino substation next door, so local hospitals, schools, and emergency services are supported by a grid that is less prone to failures during peak demand.

Process and lifecycle

"What happens to the site at the end of the project's life?"

Aypa will post a decommissioning bond at construction that legally guarantees the site is restored to its current zoning and condition at end of life.

A 35-year operating life is the planning horizon for Dirac. At end of life, the facility is removed, the batteries are recycled through the licensed industrial recycling chain that California regulates, and the parcel is restored to its current condition or to the next use the City of Chino permits at that time. The decommissioning bond is posted before construction and held against the parcel for the life of the project. The cost of removal does not fall on the City of Chino or on neighbors.

"What public review is this project going through?"

California Environmental Quality Act review, City of Chino discretionary permitting, and Chino Valley Independent Fire Protection District pre-application consultation.

Dirac is undergoing a full California Environmental Quality Act review. The CEQA process includes a public comment window during which neighbors can submit written comments. The City of Chino Planning Commission and City Council will hold public hearings, with public comment time available at each. The Chino Valley Independent Fire Protection District is in pre-application consultation now. All public hearing dates, comment deadlines, and document filings will be published on this site as they are scheduled and filed.

"Who decides whether this project gets built?"

The Chino Planning Commission and the Chino City Council, with input from state regulators and the Chino Valley Independent Fire Protection District.

Local discretionary permitting authority rests with the City of Chino. The Planning Commission reviews the project and makes a recommendation. The City Council holds the final vote on the permit, the development plan, and any related conditions. State environmental review under CEQA runs in parallel. The Chino Valley Independent Fire Protection District is the fire authority of record. Aypa's job is to provide the design, the studies, the safety plan, and the project record. The decision is in local hands.