Santa Barbara School District Approves Renewable Energy Project

The Santa Barbara Unified School District unanimously approved a plan for a new energy initiative at its last school board meeting, reported the Santa Barbara Independent. If completed, the district will install solar energy, battery storage, and electrical vehicle charging stations at school sites districtwide.

With an increase in natural disasters and public safety power shutoffs in Santa Barbara, the district is considering a renewable energy infrastructure that would allow district schools to serve its community during emergencies. Community members would be able to come to school sites to charge devices, eat and store perishable foods, and if needed during an evacuation, the schools would be able to power the site for 3-5 days.

The school board approved the first six steps of this renewable energy project. The steps involved partnering with two environmental firms — Clean Coalition and Sage Energy Consulting — to complete a feasibility study by June 2020. If the project is financially feasible, the district will negotiate a power-purchase agreement with the firms, move forward with construction, and have all infrastructure and systems running by 2022.

The Clean Coalition has been designing community microgrids, which are like smaller versions of the electric grid but “can serve entire communities by providing indefinite renewables-driven resilience to the most critical community loads — and serve all loads for significant portions of time.” The project includes 18 prospective solar-driven microgrid and electric vehicle charging stations throughout the district.

The initial project management costs involved in the first six steps is $287,900 and is being paid from the State Facility Grant Matching funds.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • Image courtesy of Armstrong International

    The Modern Hot Water System Approach to Keep Higher Education Buildings Safe and Operational

    Higher education campuses face unique structural and operational demands. With a range of old and new buildings, a variety of facility types, and ambitious sustainability goals, it's essential that no aspect of infrastructural performance is overlooked. Facility managers must be equipped to provide a safe, reliable and efficient space for students, faculty and guests.

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

  • Aims Community College to Build Workforce Innovation Center

    Aims Community College in Greeley, Colo., recently announced that it has broken ground on its new Aims Workforce Innovation Center (AWIC), according to a news release. The facility for workforce development, entrepreneurship, and education has a scheduled opening date of fall 2026.

Digital Edition