Lake Elsinore Unified School District

Eight Project Solar Portfolio Financed, Owned & Operated by Standard Solar

Standard Solar financed a 7-megawatt (MW) portfolio consisting of eight distributed generation (DG) solar projects for the Lake Elsinore Unified School District (LEUSD) in Lake Elsinore, Calif. and currently serves as the owner-operator. The projects were developed by Riverside, Calif., Lamb Energy, Inc. Stronghold Engineering Inc., an award-winning design and construction firm with years of expertise in the solar industry, performed the project installation.

The projects include a 3 MW ground-mount array at the West Riverside Landfill, a 75-acre capped landfill and 4 MW of solar canopies at seven schools in the LEUSD: Canyon Lake Middle School, David Brown Middle School, Lakeland Village School, Lakeside High School, Temescal Canyon High School, Terra Cotta Middle School and Ortega Continuation High School.

Every year, these solar projects are expected to generate 12,179,760 kilowatt hours of energy – enough to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from 1,829 passenger vehicles driven for one year and the CO₂ emissions from 1,502 homes’ electricity use for one year.

Joint Power Authority Provides Local Access to Solar Energy

The uniqueness of these projects precipitated the formation of a joint power authority – the Riverside County Public Agency Energy Alliance (RCPAEA) – among the Unified School Districts of Riverside County, California. The RCPAEA serves as an efficient means for its members to source renewable energy and resources for energy cost savings and guidance for future renewable energy projects.

Installed Solar and Energy Savings with Zero Upfront Costs

LEUSD Superintendent, Dr. Doug Kimberly said, “We are excited to pioneer these innovative solar projects through the use of Standard Solar’s Power Purchase Agreement, enabling LEUSD to reduce its carbon footprint with a zero-cost-to-district solution and enjoy the savings on the energy procurement for the next 25 years.”

Funding their portfolio through a PPA allows customers like LEUSD to significantly drive down their electricity expenses through solar. For example, the landfill system sells its electricity to Southern California Edison who will in turn issue bill credits to the power bills for 29 power meters of schools and buildings in LEUSD that are not suitable candidates for on-site solar.