Sonoma County

Sonoma County partnered with ForeFront Power to develop a 963 kW solar energy portfolio at two of its transportation facilities in Santa Rosa, Calif. Through the 5-year collaboration, ForeFront Power installed a 79 kW rooftop solar array at the Sonoma County Fleet Building and an 884 kW canopy solar array at the Sonoma County Airport.

ForeFront Power analyzed the Airport’s annual electrical consumption and designed a solar energy system to cover the Airport’s electrical energy needs. We developed a solar parking canopy comprising 2,010 solar modules that generate enough renewable electricity to offset 100% of the Airport’s annual electrical demand. PG&E’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) provision allows the Airport to “bank” any excess energy produced by the system during periods of extended sunshine. The Airport can then tap these banked excess energy credits at night or on cloudy days, or whenever daily electricity demand exceeds the production by its solar energy system.

“Anything we can do to move our community toward a regenerative future is a priority right now,” said Sonoma County 4th District Supervisor James Gore. “Our renewable energy portfolio is one part of Sonoma County’s ambitious sustainability plan to adapt and prepare our communities for climate change. We in Sonoma County are also proud to do our part in helping California and the U.S. reach their climate goals.”

The County selected ForeFront Power to develop, finance, and construct the solar portfolio through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Combined, the systems will generate over 1,495,500 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy per year, offsetting 1,060 metric tons of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to removing 230 passenger vehicles from the road each year.

CustomerSonoma CountySegmentPublic SectorTypeRooftop + CanopyCapacity963 kWYear2021LocationSanta Rosa, California