The board of directors of Yucaipa Valley Water District (YVWD) approved a custom solar, storage and microgrid project contract with ENGIE North America. YVWD will prioritize the use of clean energy to improve the hydropower relationship between its two most critical locations, namely the water filtration facility in the Ukaipa Valley and the water recycling facility in the Wochholz area.

The combined project includes 7.4 MW solar energy, 3.3 MW/13 MWh energy storage system, 3.2 MW natural gas generator set and microgrid controller. YVWD’s plan is expected to save US$73 million over the life of the plan, and the region will receive nearly US$7 million in rewards under California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). ENGIE North America will build, own and operate these systems and sell energy and energy services through a 28-year PPA.

“Our community is facing many challenging incidents, including fires and droughts, and our district is at the forefront of proactively solving problems,” said Joseph Zoba, general manager of Yucaipa Valley Water District. “It’s time to adopt a more integrated approach to the challenges and opportunities of the water-energy relationship. Maintaining the reliability and resilience of our energy and water systems is the key to long-term sustainability and our overall success. YVWD relies on uninterrupted power supplies. 24/7 to perform mission-critical operations. The project not only allows critical facilities to keep running during grid outages, but it also reduces our carbon footprint."

YVWD manages more than 220 miles of drinking water pipelines and provides a combination of water, sewer, and reclaimed water to more than 22,000 taxpayers in the Inland Empire. The plan will greatly improve the region's ability to serve residents and maintain stable interest rates while hedging rising energy costs. The plan is designed to meet the school district’s long-term disaster prevention goals and ensure that the district’s critical facilities are provided with safe and reliable power during a public safety power outage (PSPS) event.

In the historically fire-prone area of ​​Yucaipa Valley in Southern California, the community’s risk has increased, managing fires almost every two years. In order to find a positive way to prepare for the fire season and reduce the impact of related public safety outages, the YVWD board selected ENGIE as their energy partner to set up a usable framework for technical solutions that can meet the needs of the wider community.

Kelsey is the senior editor of "Solar World".

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