As part of a collaborative effort with Sage Energy Consulting, the district has issued an RFP for 4.5 MW of solar capacity and 6 MWh of storage across 15 sites.
Sage Energy Consulting has put together a request for proposals (RFP) for the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of solar-driven microgrids and electric vehicle charging infrastructure at schools throughout the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
The RFP encompasses 15 sites across the district, made up of three high schools, four junior high schools, six elementary schools, a district office/continuation high school, and a facilities warehouse. In total, the projects are expected to clock in at 4.5 MW of solar capacity, accompanied by up to 6 MWh of battery storage capacity.
Six of the proposed sites are anticipated to host microgrids with two to six hours of available islanding mode backup built into the design.
As for the actual design of the installations, 14 of the sites will feature solar shade canopies over existing parking lots and playgrounds, while the remaining site will have a ground-mounted system. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2021, commencing shortly thereafter in December of 2021.
Any parties interested in submitting a proposal can do so by emailing a request with their name, title, firm, email address, and contact phone number to rfp@sagerenew.com in order to access the full RFP folder and documents. There is a mandatory pre-proposal conference webinar on May 26, with responses due a month later on June 25. After that, Sage Energy Consulting and the district expect to award the winning contracts on August 25.