ForeFront undertakes the installation of the solar energy portfolio at the California airport

Sonoma County, California has partnered with ForeFront Power, a developer and asset manager of commercial and industrial scale solar power and storage projects, to build a 963 kW solar power portfolio at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS). and the Sonoma County Fleet Operations Building at 709 Russell Avenue in Santa Rosa.

As part of a five-year partnership with the county, ForeFront Power installed an 884 kW solar canopy in the airport parking lot and a 79 kW solar array on the Fleet Building roof.

ForeFront Power analyzed the airport’s annual electricity consumption and designed a solar energy system to meet the airport’s electricity needs. They developed a solar park canopy with 2,010 solar panels that generate enough renewable electricity to meet 100% of the airport’s annual electricity needs. PG&E’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) deployment allows the airport to ‘capture’ any excess energy the system produces during periods of prolonged sunshine. The airport can then draw on these saved surplus energy credits at night or on cloudy days or whenever the daily electricity demand exceeds the production of its solar system.

“Anything we can do to move our community toward a regenerative future is a priority right now,” says Sonoma County 4th Circuit Supervisor James Gore. “Our renewable energy portfolio is part of Sonoma County’s ambitious sustainability plan to adapt and prepare our communities for climate change. We, too, in Sonoma County, are proud to be doing our part to help California and the United States meet their climate goals.”

“ForeFront Power is very pleased that Sonoma County has achieved another milestone in its sustainability strategy,” said Rachel McLaughlin, vice president of sales and marketing at ForeFront Power. “Though Northern California faces unprecedented climate challenges, communities are demonstrating their ability to adapt and resilience.”

The county has selected ForeFront Power to develop, finance and construct the solar power portfolio under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Together, the two systems at the airport and in the fleet will generate over 1,495,500 kWh of renewable energy per year.