South Bay Union School District
South Bay Union School District
South Bay Union School District needed to reduce energy costs and model environmental responsibility while creating real-world STEM learning around renewable energy for its students.
ForeFront Power developed 16 distributed projects—13 solar canopy systems and 3 storage systems—across all South Bay USD elementary, charter, preschool, and district sites to deliver clean on-site power and shaded spaces.
The portfolio is expected to save about $20 million over 20 years (over $500,000 in Year 1), while annually avoiding roughly 3,000 tons of CO₂ (about 600 cars) and powering the equivalent of 330 homes, giving students hands-on exposure to renewable energy in their own school environments.
Along the coast of Southern California, South Bay Union School District has been providing top-tier education to the communities of Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, and south San Diego for over 100 years. Today, South Bay USD serves about 7,500 students districtwide with nine K-6 schools, two K-8 charter schools, and a preschool. In order to focus more of its resources toward its students, South Bay USD partnered with ForeFrontPower to develop 16 new solar projects throughout each of the District’s elementary and charter schools as well as the VIP Village Preschool campus and District Office.
“Our mission is to ensure that we’re providing the best public schools for the students and communities of the Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, and South San Diego areas that we serve,” said Jose Espinoza, Superintendent of South Bay Union School District. “It’s our duty to prepare our students for the future and teach them about the benefits of renewable energy, not only in terms of cost savings for our district facilities but also in terms of environmental responsibility.”
The projects include 13 solar canopy systems providing shade at each location and 3 storage systems to power District facilities with clean renewable energy. Collectively, these projects are expected to provide the district with $20 million dollars in energy savings over the next 20 years, including more than $500,000 savings in Year 1. Apart from the significant savings, South Bay Union hopes these projects will help demonstrate the importance of renewable energy to its students through new STEM learning opportunities. Students will be able to learn about this clean energy technology firsthand and understand how it helps preserve the natural environment. The projects themselves will represent environmental benefits equal to 3,000 tons of CO2 avoided, nearly 600 cars taken off the road, and 330 homes electricity powered each year for the Imperial Beach and San Diego communities.
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