Overview
- Porterville Unified School District has partnered with ForeFront Power to build an islandable microgrid that will supply on‑site power for its electric school bus fleet and critical campus loads.
- The system pairs a 763 kW solar canopy with a 408 kW / 1,632 kWh battery energy storage system and will feed 35 DC fast charger ports, two of which have bi‑directional vehicle‑to‑grid capability.
- The Mobility House’s ChargePilot will dynamically coordinate charging by drawing on solar, battery, and grid power to limit simultaneous peak loads and manage charging costs.
- The build is partially funded by an EPA Clean School Bus Program grant with CALSTART assistance and will interconnect with Southern California Edison while retaining the ability to operate independently during outages.
- District leaders say the setup will cut fuel and maintenance bills, reduce utility demand charges, improve local resilience during power shutoffs, and serve as a repeatable Central Valley model for meeting zero‑emission fleet mandates.