Bakersfield College

Kern Community College District (KCCD) is geographically one of the largest community college districts in the United States, serving 30,000+ students in communities over 24,800 square miles across Kern, Tulare, Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino Counties in California. Bakersfield College, part of Kern CCD, has the distinction of being one of the oldest community colleges in the country. Home to Bakersfield College, Kern County is the largest producer of oil in the state of California, leading to high levels of air pollution in cities like Bakersfield. In fact the Panorama Campus of Bakersfield College sits right across the street from the Kern River Oil Field, the fifth largest oil field in the United States.

To help decarbonize California’s electrical grid and reduce air pollution, Bakersfield College (BC) partnered with ForeFront Power to develop a 4 megawatt-DC (MW DC) distributed solar energy portfolio including solar canopies, solar ground mounts, energy storage, and EV charging stations. The College’s solar energy portfolio generates 5.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough electricity to power over 500 homes for a year. This clean, renewable energy supply helps the College avoid emitting over 3,800 tons of atmospheric CO2 per year, which is equivalent to the burning of 4 million pounds of coal or taking 850 gas-powered passenger vehicles off the road each year.

Under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with KCCD, 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, saving Bakersfield College millions of dollars in operating expenses and freeing up funds that can be redirected to student outcomes.

As part of its partnership, ForeFront Power also funds the SEI Climate Corps fellowships for Bakersfield College students. The SEI Climate Corps fellowship program provides participating students with an overview of energy and climate change issues, strategies for tackling climate change, and approaches to building community climate and energy resiliency in California. SEI Climate Corps Fellows receive opportunities to conduct their own independent climate mitigation research and resiliency projects with the California National Renewable Laboratory (CREL), a renewable energy hub at Bakersfield College established through a collaboration between Kern CCD and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Additionally, ForeFront Power provides funds for new renewable energy curriculum to support students studying STEM at Bakersfield College. These funds have enabled Bakersfield College science and engineering professors to upgrade their course curriculum by integrating hands-on projects such as building small-scale solar arrays with provided kits and learning about the different components of solar energy systems from the active solar projects on campus. By integrating solar energy into its campus infrastructure and STEM curriculum, Bakersfield College is reducing its carbon footprint and helping prepare the next generation of the renewable energy workforce.

CustomerBakersfield CollegeSegmentPublic SectorTypeCanopyCapacity4 MWYear2024LocationBakersfield, Calif.