SAN FRANCISCO – July 19, 2022 – ForeFront Power, a leading developer and asset manager of commercial and industrial-scale solar energy and storage projects, and Los Altos School District (LASD), a top-rated public school district in California, today announced that a 1.4 MW solar energy portfolio across LASD’s school campuses received a Top Project of the Year Award in the elite Environment + Energy Leader Awards program. The win is an indication that the program’s expert judges consider the LASD solar energy portfolio a top example of the exemplary work being done today in the fields of energy and environmental management.

The District partnered with ForeFront Power to develop a 1.4 MW solar energy portfolio comprising nine solar parking canopies across its school campuses. Through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ForeFront Power, LASD is now generating clean, renewable electricity while reducing its annual utility spending, all without any upfront cost or use of bond funds. 

ForeFront Power coordinated closely with LASD to construct and complete the portfolio with minimal impact to school activities during the 2017 – 2018 school year. As part of the PPA, ForeFront Power, through its asset management subsidiary, has continued to monitor system performance after the portfolio’s completion. Benefiting from the efforts of ForeFront Power Asset Management, the 1.4 MW solar portfolio has already helped LASD save nearly $1 million in 3 years, and is expected to save up to $2.7 million in 10 years of operation, while avoiding 1,754 tons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to avoiding the annual CO2 output of 336 cars on local roads, which is a net positive for the region’s air quality. By significantly reducing District energy costs, the solar portfolio is also redirecting school funds to classrooms, teachers, and educational programs for students.

One judge said of the LASD solar energy portfolio: “There were some interesting design elements incorporated into this project; first reducing demand through energy efficiency improvements before sizing the solar requirements, constructing and completing the project with minimal impact on school activities, implementing the project across a portfolio of nine campuses, minimizing maintenance events, and increasing awareness about sustainability by making the solar installation part of the school curriculum.”

Another added, “ForeFront Power was conscious of the school’s schedule and worked around the schools’ operations. Forefront Power Asset Management also performed asset management duties to ensure that the PV system was operating optimally.”

In the first year of operation, a third-party vendor was responsible for managing the District’s solar energy assets. ForeFront Power recognized inefficiencies in system performance and offered to take over asset management duties directly. The company’s Asset Management division, which offers a combination of diagnostic, monitoring, and operational expertise, began directly managing the LASD portfolio in 2020 with the objective of optimizing performance and maximizing electricity savings.

By the end of 2021, ForeFront Power Asset Management was able to drastically decrease the LASD solar portfolio’s third-party maintenance events (known as “truck rolls”) compared to the previous vendor. All project sites receive annual inspections, where all equipment is checked and tuned, resulting in only two maintenance events in 2021 — a reduction of 90% in just 2 years. The portfolio exceeded the 95% contracted performance guarantee with an average performance ratio of 100% across the portfolio. 

The Environment + Energy Leader Awards is a program recognizing excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits, and in projects implemented by companies that improved environmental or energy management and increased the bottom line. 

“With a very experienced and critical judging panel and a strict set of judging criteria, entrants faced an extremely high bar to qualify for an award in 2022” says Sarah Roberts, Environment + Energy Leader publisher.

 

 

About ForeFront Power

ForeFront Power is a leading North American developer of solar and energy storage solutions for commercial, industrial, public sector, and community solar customers. The ForeFront Power team has 15 years of experience working together to develop more than 1,300 behind-the-meter and community solar and storage projects, totaling more than 1 gigawatt-DC of renewable electricity. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and Mexico City, the company offers business, government, education, and community solar customers in the U.S. and Mexico a broad array of development, advisory and asset management services. ForeFront Power is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co. Ltd., a global energy infrastructure and investment leader with a robust balance sheet and an “A” credit rating from Standard & Poor’s. For more information, visit www.forefrontpower.com.

About ForeFront Power Asset Management

ForeFront Power Asset Management is a leading U.S. provider of solar and energy storage asset management services with an exclusive focus on maximizing value on commercial and industrial (C&I) scale and community solar projects. Leveraging expertise gained from 180 self-owned projects comprising over 140 megawatts, ForeFront Power Asset Management delivers services for third-party owned assets, including community solar and behind-the-meter assets providing electricity for corporate, education, government, and healthcare electricity consumers. Industry-leading production guarantees, top-notch customer service, and holistic value to investors, owners, and electricity consumers define the ForeFront Power Asset Management way. For more information, visit www.forefrontpower.com/asset-management.

About Los Altos School District (LASD)

The Los Altos School District is a top performing school district with excellent student achievement, consistently ranking in the top one percent of elementary school districts in the State of California.  All nine of the district’s neighborhood schools have received the prestigious California Distinguished School Award.   Based in California’s Silicon Valley, LASD’s neighborhood schools are known for educational innovation to ensure every student’s success in our competitive world.  LASD believes the student experience extends beyond content knowledge and must include a strong emphasis on 21st century skill development, including science, technology, math, engineering and computer science.  LASD’s curriculum blends critical thinking and creativity into the core academic subjects and across interdisciplinary studies for a truly world-class education. For more information, visit www.lasdschools.org.

About the Environment + Energy Leader Awards

For the past decade, the Environment + Energy Leader Awards have celebrated excellence in the world of environmental, sustainability and energy management. Award winners are truly buzz-worthy, and companies that sport a Top Project or Top Product of the Year Award badge are known to be the best of the best. When other companies are seeking a sustainability or energy management solution, they know that E+E Product of the Year Award winners offer a significant group of products, vetted by experts, to peruse for help in making their decisions. Project of the Year Award winners are known to illustrate how sustainability and energy management projects can successfully help other companies improve the bottom line.