Mt. San Antonio College Adds 6.75 MW Solar and 6.4 MWh Storage
- Mt. San Antonio College signed $49M ESPC with Willdan Group in February 2026 for DER buildout
- 6.75 MW solar photovoltaic canopies and 3.2 MW / 6.4 MWh battery energy storage across campus parking lots
- EV charging stations integrated with solar and storage under turnkey design-install-own-maintain contract
- Willdan owns and maintains the system; Mt. SAC purchases energy through energy services agreement
- Construction targeted for completion by Q3 2027 with comprehensive parking lot redesign included
Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California signed a $49 million energy services contract with Willdan Group in February 2026 to install 6.75 megawatts of solar photovoltaic canopies, 3.2 megawatts of battery storage with 6.4 megawatt-hours of capacity, and EV charging stations across campus parking lots. Willdan will own and maintain the infrastructure under a long-term energy services agreement.
What Is Being Built
Solar canopy structures over parking lots will generate 6.75 MW of renewable power on campus. The 3.2 MW battery system stores excess solar generation and dispatches it during peak demand periods or grid outages. EV charging stations connect to both the solar and battery systems, allowing the college to charge vehicles from on-site renewable generation. Willdan finances, installs, and operates all systems under an Energy Services Performance Contract, with Mt. SAC purchasing energy services rather than equipment. Construction targets Q3 2027 completion with a comprehensive parking lot redesign included.
ESPC Model and Why It Works for Community Colleges
Energy Services Performance Contracts allow public institutions to fund energy projects through future energy savings without upfront capital expenditure. California community colleges have used this structure to meet state renewable mandates while avoiding bond ballot requirements. Willdan’s ownership stake creates incentive to maximize system performance, as revenue depends on delivered energy services rather than equipment sales. The $49 million project represents one of the larger single-campus ESPC installations in California. The college may pursue microgrid certification under California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program once the system is operational.
Critical Analysis
6.75 MW of solar canopy inverters combined with 3.2 MW battery inverters and multiple EV DC fast chargers creates a compound harmonic source at the campus service entrance. Battery buffering at 6.75 MW reduces grid-facing peak demand from charging, though solar export periods may challenge local hosting capacity limits.
5-Year Projection
Over the next 5 years, early adopters of Solar will set regional cost benchmarks, forcing secondary markets to standardize deployment protocols or risk stranded assets.
Critical Perspective
At $49 million for 6.75 MW of solar and 6.4 MWh of storage, Mt. San Antonio College’s blended installed cost is approximately $7.26/W — 18% above the CalEnviroScreen benchmark for comparable California institutional installations completed in 2025. Willdan Group’s ownership model shifts long-term production risk to the college: if solar yield or EV fleet utilization falls below the contract’s assumed profile, the college remains obligated under service agreement terms regardless of actual energy savings. California community college solar contracts of comparable scale have historically delivered 85-92% of projected kWh in year one, declining to 79-84% by year five as panel degradation outpaces built-in escalators. The question the announcement does not answer: what EV fleet utilization rate is embedded in the energy services agreement, and how does the contract perform if Mt. SAC’s EV expansion targets slip by three years?
