Board authorizes exploration of $3.5 million battery-storage grant for Yucaipa High School

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District board on April 8 authorized staff to move forward with exploring a $3.5 million battery energy storage project for Yucaipa High School funded through the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP).

Maintenance manager Adam Johnson told the board the district met the SGIP criteria and had received an award for the maximum grant amount of $3.5 million. Johnson said the storage system would work with planned solar and aim to keep campus systems — including lights, air conditioning and phones — operating through public-safety power outages. “When the power goes out … we won’t lose power,” Johnson said, describing the system’s ability to maintain continuous service and to discharge stored power during peak-rate periods to reduce utility costs.

Dennis Klene, the district’s purchasing and facilities director, said the grant covers construction and integration into the existing switchgear. He also said a vendor, identified in the presentation as SoCal West Coast Electric, offered to place the required refundable 5% application payment on the district’s behalf to meet a tight deadline; that refundable deposit equals roughly $175,000 if the board chooses to accept the vendor’s proposal. Klene said the deposit would be refundable if the district later declined to move forward before a fully executed agreement.

Johnson answered board questions on warranty and maintenance: the contract requires a 10-year warranty, the vendor reported minimal routine maintenance because the battery system would be used frequently (which preserves battery life), and the units include built-in fire suppression and cooling systems. The district also expects to receive half of the SGIP rebate (about $1.75 million) at project completion, with the remainder paid after performance data is collected (the transcript referenced a two-to-five year reconciliation period).

Board members said the project addresses recent regional power disruptions and would improve campus resilience. One member noted that while the system can preserve campus power, internet access districtwide would still depend on whether the internet provider’s equipment is powered; Johnson said local campus services would remain available when the battery is supplying the site’s switchgear.

The board approved the staff request to accept the refundable application payment and continue project exploration (recorded in the meeting as approval of agenda item 9.07). The motion passed by voice vote as recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: staff will complete a cost–benefit analysis, confirm final contract terms and return with a detailed funding plan and timeline before any final contract execution.