College of the Redwoods to go solar on Eureka campus

Move expected to save up to $4.8M over 20 years

The College of the Redwoods entered into a contract with ForeFront Power, a San Franciscobased solar company, to convert the Eureka campus to predominantly solar power.

The deal is expected to save the college between $4 million and $4.8 million in energy costs for the next two decades.

“Our Board of Trustees took a very courageous and far-reaching decision to approve CR’s new solar energy project for the Eureka campus” said Keith Flamer, CR’s president, in a news release. “Our trustees know that expanding the use of solar power will not only provide a reliable energy source for the campus and a platform for additional academic programming, but it will also help mitigate the problems associated with climate change.”

The solar grid system is 2.1 megawatts and provides 500 kilowatts of battery storage. Grids will cover three acres of field space, about one-third of campus parking and the roof of the Learning Resource Center. Once installed and operational, the system is expected to generate 90% of the colleges energy needs.

The contract does not require any initial payment from the college. ForeFront Power will “design, construct, own, operate, and maintain the grid,” CR said in its release. CR then buys the power from ForeFront at a fixed rate for 20 years after which the grid is turned over to the school.

CR said ForeFront Power will be “incentivized” to provide 90% of the college’s energy needs by a “performance guarantee” that states the company will pay the school for any power purchased from PG&E due to not meeting the 90% threshold.

Before construction of the grid can begin, a feasibility study will be done by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Once the study is complete, it will take about 3 months for the grid to be built.

Once the system is up and running, there will be an educational aspect for students who want internships or fellowships with ForeFront Power. The project will create a living lab for students and will integrate with CR’s solar educational program.

Kerry Mayer, CR’s dean of career education is looking forward to the new opportunities the project affords.

“The number of jobs in solar energy is rising exponentially in California, and this project will give our students real-word insight into the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in this growing field,” she said in a news release.

ForeFront Power will also provide the campus with renewable education resources including several libraries of education materials on renewable energy, including certifications for energy audits, solar analysis, and energy efficiency analysis.