Costa Mesa, CA
Harbor at Mesa Verde is a premier residential community in Costa Mesa, California, offering resort-style living near the heart of Orange County. Sprawling across a lush, garden-style campus, the property features 384 units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. To enhance its commitment to sustainable living and stabilize the operational costs of its extensive common areas—including two swimming pools, a fitness center, and a large clubhouse—Harbor at Mesa Verde partnered with Stellar Solar Commercial in 2019 to deploy a massive rooftop solar strategy.
Designing a solar solution for a sprawling, two-story apartment community requires a sophisticated understanding of distributed electrical infrastructure. Stellar Solar Commercial engineered a robust 313.2 kW (DC) system that spans multiple residential and community building rooftops to maximize energy harvest across the 350,000-square-foot property.
The technical architecture of the Harbor at Mesa Verde installation features:
-870 SunPower 360W Modules: By utilizing premium SunPower technology, the property ensured maximum energy density and a high-aesthetic finish that complements the community’s modern interiors. These 870 modules are engineered for long-term durability in the Southern California sun, providing a consistent flow of clean electricity.
-Large-Scale Energy Offset: Sized to offset a substantial portion of the community’s massive “house load”—including 24/7 security lighting, pool heating systems, and administrative suites—this system provides a reliable and predictable source of power.
-Operational Since December 2019: Placed into service over six years ago, this array has already delivered a significant return on investment, shielding the property owners from years of record-high utility rate hikes in Orange County.
In the 2026 energy landscape, where utility rates for large multi-family properties have reached historic highs, the foresight of this 313.2 kW installation provides a massive financial advantage. For a community like Harbor at Mesa Verde, energy is a major operational expense. By generating its own power on-site, the property has effectively neutralized a significant portion of its overhead.
Every kilowatt-hour produced by the SunPower modules is a kilowatt-hour the property does not have to purchase from the utility at premium peak rates. This creates a sustainable stream of savings that can be redirected toward:
-Amenity Enhancements: Maintaining the high-end fitness center, clubhouse, and resort-style pools.
-Property Modernization: Funding ongoing upgrades to interiors and smart-home technology.
-Tenant Value: Positioning Harbor at Mesa Verde as a leading eco-conscious community that appeals to modern, sustainability-minded residents in Orange County.
Since 1998, Stellar Solar Commercial has been the preferred partner for California’s largest multi-family communities and HOAs. We bring over 28 years of technical expertise to these complex projects, navigating the unique structural and electrical requirements of multi-building campuses while ensuring minimal disruption to residents.
Our in-house team handles the entire lifecycle of the project—from initial structural roof analysis and educational load profiling to navigating complex utility interconnection. We specialize in “quiet-professional” construction, ensuring the serenity and resident experience of the community remain the top priority throughout the installation process.
As we move through 2026, the strategy for premier apartment communities has evolved to include Solar + Battery Storage. For properties like Harbor at Mesa Verde, adding a utility-scale battery system provides an essential layer of resilience, ensuring that critical security systems, common area lighting, and administrative hubs remain fully operational even during regional power outages.
Stellar Solar Commercial continues to lead this energy revolution, helping California’s residential leaders build a resilient, low-cost energy future. We turn apartment rooftops into powerful tools for sustainability and financial success.
If your multi-family community or commercial property is ready to follow the lead of Harbor at Mesa Verde and reclaim control over your energy future, contact Stellar Solar Commercial today at 866.787.6527. We provide comprehensive, free site evaluations to help your property lead the way.