The City of Bakersfield, Calif., in partnership with ForeFront Power, a developer and asset manager of commercial and industrial-scale solar energy and storage projects, has finished Phase 1 of a planned city-wide solar electricity generating project.

Phase 1 is a 2 MW DC solar energy portfolio located at five sites. With an annual electrical output of 3.4 million kWh, Phase 1 alone is expected to save the city and taxpayers nearly $9 million in electricity costs over a 20-year period.

Under the terms of a power purchase agreement with the City of Bakersfield, ForeFront Power developed, owns and maintains the portfolio. ForeFront Power charges the city 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 city.

“City staff is always looking for innovative and forward-thinking opportunities that will keep Bakersfield ahead of the curve,” City Manager Christian Clegg says. “By investing in this project, we have made Bakersfield more energy-efficient, setting ourselves up for a future of fiscal responsibility.”

“We applaud the City of Bakersfield for the sustainability leadership demonstrated by installing 2 MW DC of solar energy to power city facilities,” comments ForeFront Power CEO Michael Smith. “ForeFront Power takes care of every aspect of solar energy solutions for our public sector partners like Bakersfield. We want to give local government agencies an alternative to expensive, unpredictable energy expenditures with guaranteed performance and low costs from solar.”

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