FRESNO - March 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresno Unified School District celebrated the completion of a 17.5 MW districtwide solar energy and storage portfolio with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hoover High School. Developed in partnership with ForeFront Power, a leading developer and asset manager of commercial and industrial-scale solar energy and storage projects, the Fresno Unified solar portfolio is expected to save the District over $40 million throughout the system's 20-year lifespan.
Now completed, the Fresno Unified portfolio includes 40 different projects with solar canopies and energy storage systems across 31 district sites, representing one of California's largest K-12 solar and battery storage portfolios. The labor used on the projects in the Fresno USD portfolio came from contracting services based out of the Fresno region, creating 56 new local jobs.
The 17.5 MW solar portfolio will generate 23.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean, renewable electricity. This energy output is enough to power the annual electricity usage of over 3,000 nearby homes. It will help the District offset over 18,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, roughly equivalent to taking 3,600 cars off the road yearly.
"This solar energy and battery storage portfolio demonstrates our district's dedication to building a more resilient future for our students and the communities we serve," said Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson. "By upgrading our campuses with innovative, clean energy solutions, we're unlocking new cost savings that can be redirected back into the classroom to enhance the quality of learning for our students."
Through its partnership with ForeFront Power, the District has access to a real-time performance monitoring platform. This platform allows district officials to create reports and visualize related environmental offsets and savings. The partnership also includes customizable renewable energy curriculum support that enhances STEM education programs for Fresno Unified students.
"ForeFront Power takes care of every aspect of solar energy solutions for our partner school districts like Fresno Unified," said Nate Smith-Ide, Senior Sales Manager at ForeFront Power. "We want to give public school districts an alternative to expensive, unpredictable energy expenditures with guaranteed performance and low costs from renewable energy solutions."
ForeFront Power implemented smart battery storage systems that complement the District's solar canopies. These systems kick in during moments of maximum electricity usage to minimize the impact of peak charges from the utility. The result is lower electricity costs than with a solar project alone.
Fresno Unified selected ForeFront Power via the Renewable Energy Aggregated Procurement (REAP) Program offered by SPURR. SPURR, a Joint Powers Authority of hundreds of public education agencies, uses competitive solicitations, aggregated buying power, and technical expertise to obtain excellent pricing and terms for utilities-related goods and services.
The REAP Program allows any California public agency to obtain the best solar and energy storage pricing and terms from a competitive statewide solicitation. Over 50 California public agencies have used REAP to develop hundreds of megawatts of solar and storage projects to date.
