In Nov. 2021, the PUSD Board of Education approved a Letter of Intent with ForeFront Power to install solar panels; last month, drilling took place at Westview in order to test soil. 

Rheia Alschbach is the Assistant Director of Planning in PUSD. Throughout the past year, she has been involved in the development of the solar panels project along with Ruben Arras, the PUSD Director of Facilities, Maintenance, and Operations.  

“The purpose of testing soil is to make sure the ground is stable enough to support the structure,” Arras said. “Anytime we build, we have to make sure the soil is compact and can handle the weight.”

As of Dec. 6, the results of the soil testing have not been determined. Throughout the past year, Alschbach said ForeFront developed the district’s solar portfolio, completing site visits, preliminary designs, and calculations to determine the best system sizes to construct at each campus. In June, the Phase 1 solar portfolio was approved. Now, Alschbach said the district is moving towards construction by getting specific data about the sites and utility lines, sampling soil, and finalizing the location of the solar panels and their designs. 

Next summer, ForeFront Power will build solar panels at Westview as well as 10 other schools in the district: Sunset Hills, Tierra Bonita, Westwood, Bernardo Heights, Black Mountain, Design39 Campus, Meadowbrook, Mesa Verde, Oak Valley, Twin Peaks, Del Norte, Mt. Carmel, and Rancho Bernardo. These schools were selected after the district conducted a review to determine where solar projects would result in the most significant savings. 

Although Westview already has solar panels located near the back of the school, the additional panels will allow the district to offset 91% of the electricity being used at Westview and provide shade for cars in the parking lot. There are no upfront costs for PUSD. Instead, ForeFront solar will build the panels and charge the district a monthly rate for the energy collected. 

“The goal is to capture as much energy from the sun and have that energy offset how much we use,” Alschbach said. “In the summertime, when no one’s there, it’s still capturing energy. So during the school year, when the energy costs are high, we can use whatever stored energy we have to offset the costs.” 

At Westview alone, the project is estimated to save $79,906 in the first year, and $4,873,695 over the 20-year agreement. Throughout the district, solar panels will save approximately $36 million throughout the 20 years. 

“The project would cost roughly $25 million, which is [an amount] we don’t have for capital projects [large-scale investments],” Arras said. “[A monthly rate] is typical for solar projects at schools unless the district has passed a bond that covers the cost directly.”

The solar panel development was prompted by a new proposal from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) referred to as NEM 3.0. According to the CPUC, net energy metering (NEM) allows “customers to generate their own energy to serve their energy needs.” Customers would also receive financial credit for any surplus energy generated. 

From an environmental standpoint, Bella Santos (12) is optimistic about the development. 

“As concerns about climate change grow amongst our student body, it’s really exciting to see our district take steps to further implement clean energy and mitigate emissions,” Santos said. “This is a great opportunity for the district to continue making commitments to environmentalism, taking a leadership role in the community regarding sustainability.”

As an advocate for climate action, Grace Mordhorst (12) similarly believes that the solar panels, which will be constructed in the main parking lot by the gym, is a critical step towards sustainable energy. 

“Poway Unified is taking a much needed step,” Mordhorst said. “I’m eager to see this project implemented, and I hope they continue to expand this initiative towards all schools in the district.”