El Dorado Union High School District Energizes Campuses with Clean Energy Program - Will Save $12.8 Million in Energy Costs

10:00 AM - September 16, 2019

From El Dorado Union High School District

El Dorado Union High School District (EDUHSD) celebrated the start of the 2019-2020 school year with a “flip-the-switch” celebration in honor of the completion of a 3,187.2 kW solar photovoltaic and integrated energy efficiency project, with upcoming STEM education tie-ins for students. On Tuesday, September 10, EDUHSD leadership and their energy partner ENGIE Services U.S. (ENGIE) commemorated the completion of construction and implementation of the District-wide energy program. Through the collaborative partnership with ENGIE, EDUHSD’s energy upgrade represents a new approach to enhancing the learning environment, both inside and outside of the classroom. The program is expected to generate $12.8 million in energy savings.

Accelerating Clean Energy for El Dorado

During the celebration event, Superintendent Ron Carruth recognized the impact of three campuses now being powered by clean energy including El Dorado, Oak Ridge and Ponderosa, with each school having installed solar panels. Solar at Union Mine will be coming later this fall. The shade canopy arrays at El Dorado and Ponderosa High Schools also double as parking structure shade covers, which protect students and vehicles from the sun. Together, all four solar arrays will bring the District’s total energy capacity to produce 5 million kWh in the first year of program – the equivalent of enough clean energy to power 423 local homes in El Dorado County for one year.

Engaging Future Leaders

With EDUHSD’s energy program in full force, the visible transformation of the District through solar and infrastructure upgrades sets a precedent for success in the region that will directly impact local students. Collaborating closely with District leadership, the ENGIE Education team is developing opportunities to support students, staff, and faculty to leverage the energy program as a living lab for STEM education during the school year.

As shared by Superintendent Carruth, “We have greatly appreciated our community support in development of this milestone project for the District. Leveraging clean energy that generates such tremendous savings allows us to redirect our available funding to support other mission-critical initiatives that help students prepare for STEM and sustainability careers of the future.”

Student leaders in attendance also echoed excitement and pride for the project in their community. As shared by the District’s Student Board Member, Emma Austin, “This project is a ‘win-win’ for us because it saves EDUHSD a lot of money on energy costs – this can be used for other important things impacting our educational experience. By producing our own clean energy, we are showing other school districts across California that we can reduce our impact on the environment by using less non-renewable resources.”

The District is looking forward to providing ongoing milestone updates to the community on the following, expected outcomes:

• $12.8 million in expected energy savings over the program lifetime
• 3,612 metric tons of CO2 emissions offset in the program’s first year, the equivalent to removing 767 cars from the road
• 77% reduction in district energy consumption

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