Alameda County Water District Cuts Ribbon on 3.5-Megawatt Solar Microgrid and Clean Energy Facility in Fremont

The Alameda County Water District held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony in Fremont on Wednesday, celebrating the full commercial activation of a 3.5-megawatt solar photovoltaic and battery storage microgrid that powers the district's primary water treatment, pumping, and administrative campus. Gathering at the operations center on South Grimmer Boulevard in Fremont, utility directors, regional public safety officials, and state clean energy commissioners dedicated the infrastructure project, which guarantees drinking water delivery for more than 350,000 residents across Fremont, Newark, and Union City.

Financed through a combination of state climate resilience grants and low-interest clean water infrastructure loans, the installation incorporates canopy solar arrays installed across employee parking structures and covered water reservoir roofs, linked to a 10-megawatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate battery storage system. The microgrid is engineered to island itself automatically from the broader commercial electrical grid during major earthquake events, severe wildfire blackouts, or Pacific Gas and Electric Public Safety Power Shutoffs, maintaining critical water disinfection and booster pumps for up to seven continuous days without diesel generators.

District financial officers projected that generating clean solar electricity on-site will save ratepayers approximately $1.8 million annually in avoided utility power purchases, shielding household customers from rising electrical tariffs while reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3,200 metric tons each year. Environmental regulators commended the Alameda County utility for establishing a statewide resilience blueprint for municipal water districts confronting accelerating climate risks.

Utility ratepayers, renewable energy researchers, and community members can view the interactive real-time solar generation dashboard, water purity reports, and microgrid engineering specifications online at acwd.org/cleanenergy. Inquiries regarding district sustainability initiatives and board of directors meetings may be directed to the ACWD Communications Bureau Monday through Friday at (510) 668-4200.