Fresno Unified School District

Fresno Unified School District is the third largest school district in California with over 120 different educational facilities from elementary, middle and high schools to magnet schools and other district facilities, serving approximately 70,000 students from preschool through grade 12, as well as a thriving adult school that serves more than 10,000 students per year. With annual operating costs of its facilities amounting to approximately $25 million in electricity alone, Fresno USD district wanted to lower these costs by improving energy efficiency through a wide-scale solar energy portfolio.

Fresno Unified School District partnered with ForeFront Power to develop a 17.5 megawatt-DC (MW DC) distributed solar energy and storage portfolio, representing one of the largest combined solar energy and battery storage projects on school district property in California. The massive portfolio includes multiple solar canopies and solar energy storage systems across 31 District sites.

The portfolio generates 23,590,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough electricity to power over 3,000 homes for a year. By generating this renewable, clean energy supply, Fresno USD avoids emitting over 16,700 tons of atmospheric CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the burning of 18 million pounds of coal. Avoiding this amount of CO2 makes Fresno USD’s transition to clean power a net positive for air quality, as it is roughly equal to taking 3,700 gas-powered passenger vehicles off the road each year.

Under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Fresno USD, ForeFront Power developed, owns, and maintains the District’s solar energy portfolio. ForeFront Power charges the District a fixed, below-market rate for electricity, which is locked in for the 20-year duration of the agreement. ForeFront Power will continue to operate and maintain the system at no cost to the District. The PPA enabled Fresno USD to develop its portfolio at no upfront cost and without using bond funds. The District achieves a fixed, below-market rate for electricity as well as budget certainty by avoiding utility rate increases for decades to come.

Combined, the solar portfolio will help Fresno USD save an estimated total of $40 million over the next 20 years. With 88% of its student base living below the poverty line, these energy savings translate to new funding possibilities for them such as providing scholarship opportunities, career advancement programs, and STEM education including a new curriculum based on the solar projects.

In 2024, Environment + Energy Leader awarded the Fresno Unified School District Solar Portfolio Top Project of the Year in Energy Innovation, recognizing how the project has real quantified benefits and operates in a disadvantaged community, where impacts such as better air quality become amplified. Read more about the project’s recognition in the Earth Day 2024 press release.