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Five middle schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) — Northridge Middle School, Pacoima Middle School, Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, Sun Valley Magnet School, and Sutter Middle School — will get solar PV systems and EV charging infrastructure.
The project developer is Ameresco, Inc., a leading energy solutions provider. Ameresco will also operate and maintain the technology systems.
The solar power and EV charger project at the five middle schools is part of a larger program to install solar power at 21 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
How did Ameresco partner with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the solar power and EV charger project?
In 2022, LAUSD issued a request for proposals (RFP) to industry, seeking a qualified partner to support the district’s ambitious goal to achieve 100% clean, renewable energy by 2040 through a turnkey solution for the engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance of solar PV systems and EV charging infrastructure at several schools throughout the district.
In 2023, LAUSD selected Ameresco to deliver these projects at five middle schools as part of a larger initiative that will implement similar projects at 21 schools in total.
What will be the solar power capacity and where will the solar panels be installed?
Ameresco will provide over 2.7 MW of solar capacity across five schools — Northridge Middle School, Pacoima Middle School, Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, Sun Valley Magnet School, and Sutter Middle School.
How many EV chargers will be installed and what will their charging rates be?
Ameresco will install a total of ten (two per school) Level 2 EV chargers.
Will the EV chargers operate only on solar power?
No, they will also operate on grid power. The EV chargers will be used when needed, which could be when the solar is operating or not.
Where will the solar panels be installed?
All of the solar panels will be installed either on shade structures — providing significant relief to students during the increasing number of extremely warm days experienced Districtwide — and on carport structures to provide shade for staff, parents, and visitors while parking.
Will any battery storage be paired with the solar power?
The Ameresco team thoroughly evaluated pairing the PV systems with battery energy storage systems (BESS) to enhance energy resiliency at these five schools in the event of a utility disruption.
However, since each of these schools are located in Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) territory as opposed to SCE territory, the rate tariffs and utility bill profiles at these schools did not yield a strong economic justification for BESS.
Being responsible stewards of taxpayer funding, LAUSD made the prudent financial decision to forego installing BESS as part of these projects.
Will the chargers have shade structures too?
Most will be located under a carport so they will be shaded.
Who will use the chargers?
That will be determined by LAUSD.
When will the project be completed and what will be the cost?
Where is the money coming from for the project?
There are two sources of funding being used for these projects:
No new taxes were levied to fund these important clean energy projects. A significant portion of the actual cost of the project will be repaid through the savings over time from avoided cost of energy generated by the solar panels.