Chula Vista Elementary School District Unveils $32M Solar and Microgrid Project with ENGIE

Improvements are expected to save the District more than $70 million in net electricity costs over the next 25 years.

Chula Vista Elementary School District and ENGIE North America (ENGIE) today announced the completion of the District’s solar project. The District now has 8.1 megawatts of solar installed across 48 sites and is finalizing the installation of a microgrid system. The microgrid is located at the Education Service and Support Center and powered through solar and batteries to provide backup emergency power to the District’s IT department, additional servers, and the Child Nutrition freezer. The microgrid’s battery storage system will also provide electricity during the peak time period of 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. when electric rates are highest, saving the District from having to pull their electricity from SDG&E’s electrical grid during that time each day.

The solar installation includes 18,050 panels installed as shade structures at 46 schools, the Transportation Yard, and the Education Service and Support Center. The $32 million project was funded through a G.O. Bond and is expected to save the District more than $70 million in net electricity costs over the next 25 years.

“That is $70 million in savings even after project costs have been paid for,” said Oscar Esquivel, Deputy Superintendent. “By the end of this project, we think we will be able to generate about 90 percent of the District’s overall energy demands. That is a tremendous amount of energy—and savings for our District. This is a ‘green’ project both environmentally and fiscally.”

“We have a demonstrated commitment to strengthening environmental sustainability efforts that our community recognizes,” Esquivel said. “Our team has done an outstanding job of continually finding ways to increase energy efficiency and savings while doing our part to improve the environment. We want to model for our students the importance of energy awareness, conservation, and sustainability.”

“Our ENGIE North America team is proud to deliver customized solar and microgrid solutions to customers like Chula Vista Elementary School District,” said Stefaan Sercu, managing director Energy Solutions Americas at ENGIE. “In addition to this technology serving as a critical resource during potential power outages, the bigger picture impact of the District’s move toward sustainable energy ensures long-term financial savings and resiliency.”

About the Chula Vista Elementary School District

The Chula Vista Elementary School District is one of the state's largest traditional kindergarten through grade six districts. It serves a vibrant, diverse community with a blend of residential areas, recreational facilities, open space, and light industry. The District was established in 1892, and each year, over 28,000 students from 50 schools in the Chula Vista area are professionally taught by highly trained and dedicated district teachers. Our district’s shared value is the belief that each child is an individual of great worth and entitled to develop to their full potential. Please visit the Chula Vista Elementary School District’s website for more information at www.cvesd.org.

About ENGIE North America

Based in Houston, Texas, ENGIE North America Inc. is a regional hub of ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services. ENGIE (ENGI), is listed on the Paris and Brussels Stock Exchanges. Together with our 101,500 employees around the globe, our customers, partners and stakeholders, we are committed to accelerate the transition toward a carbon-neutral world, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions. Inspired by our purpose (“raison d’être”), we reconcile economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet, building on our key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to our customers. In North America, ENGIE helps our clients achieve their energy efficiency, reliability, and ultimately, their sustainability goals, as we work together to shape a sustainable future. We accomplish this through: energy efficiency projects, providing energy supply (including renewables and natural gas), and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy assets (wind, solar, storage and more). For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, https://www.engie-na.com/ and https://www.engie.com.

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