San Luis Obispo County Airport
San Luis Obispo County Airport
Enabling SBP Airport to run entirely on renewable energy with an on-site solar parking canopy.
The San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) wanted to improve its energy resiliency and offset its electrical consumption with 100% renewable energy generation by 2030
The County partnered with ForeFront Power to develop a 940-kW kilowatt-DC (kW DC) solar energy canopy system at no upfront cost to the County through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ForeFront Power.
The solar installation will generate over 1.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually. This clean, renewable energy will offset all of the Airport’s electricity consumption, and is is projected to save the Airport nearly $6 million in energy costs over the life of the project.
San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) held a ribbon cutting on Earth Day 2026 to unveil a new on-site 940-kW DC solar parking canopy system over the airport’s largest passenger parking lot. Developed in partnership with ForeFront Power, this solar project enables SBP to achieve their goal of powering 100% of airport operations with renewable energy, well before their 2030 commitment.
The solar installation is expected to generate over 1.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually, which is enough to power the annual electricity use of nearly 270 homes. This clean, renewable energy will offset all of the Airport’s electricity consumption, including expected increases from the future electrification of its fleet.
“One of the really important things, other than reducing our reliance on the utility grid, is to be able to have some budget certainty in times of utility rate escalation. Leveraging the system, we’ve now locked in a rate for 20 years, and so we are shielded from utility rate increases. What that allows us to do is take those savings and allocate them to other programs and projects for our passengers at the airport.”
Over the 20-year duration of the agreement, the solar project is projected to save SBP nearly $6 million in energy costs. The system was developed at no upfront cost to the County through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ForeFront Power. Under the terms of the PPA, SBP will purchase the clean electricity generated on site at a fixed rate that is lower than the utility price for electricity and locked in for the 20-year duration of the agreement. ForeFront Power will continue to operate and maintain the system for SBP.
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