City of Fresno gets first operational Erthos array at water treatment plant
ForeFront Power on Thursday announced commercial operation of its first Erthos solar energy system at the City of Fresno’s Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant. The installation marks the company’s first use of Erthos’ Earth Mount Solar approach on a municipal site in Fresno and is being offered to the city through a long‑term power purchase arrangement.
The Erthos design places photovoltaic modules directly on the ground without the customary structural steel supports found in traditional ground‑mounted systems. ForeFront Power said that approach streamlines development, eliminates costs associated with steel procurement and installation, and allowed the developer to lower the overall price to build the project.
"After conducting our due diligence and vetting Erthos technology, we discovered that the Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant was an optimal site for an Erthos application," said Erinne Davis, senior project manager at ForeFront Power.
How the project will affect city costs and operations
Under the terms of the agreement, ForeFront Power retains ownership of the solar system and will sell electricity to the City of Fresno at a fixed rate for 20 years. The company said savings from reduced construction and civil work were passed on to the city in the form of a lower electricity rate than the local utility would charge.
The developer approached Erthos in 2023, citing inflation and supply chain shocks that had driven up labor and material prices and made a traditional ground‑mounted build significantly more expensive at the site. By adopting the Earth Mount approach, ForeFront Power said it was able to avoid "significant, expensive civil upgrades," reducing the city’s expected energy cost from the project.
Technical and local context
Erthos markets the system as a modular, repeatable design intended to simplify the complexity of solar projects. The Fresno installation demonstrates the approach on municipal infrastructure and provides a test case for future applications across the region.
- Owner/Developer: ForeFront Power
- Technology: Erthos Earth Mount Solar (modules mounted directly on earth)
- Site: Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant, City of Fresno
- Contract: 20‑year power purchase agreement with the city
- Project driver: cost reductions amid inflation and supply shocks
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Ownership | ForeFront Power |
| Customer | City of Fresno |
| Term | 20 years (PPA) |
Local officials and ratepayers will be watching how the project performs in practice. While the announcement highlights cost savings tied to the elimination of structural steel and reduced civil work, the system’s operational performance, maintenance needs and long‑term durability on Fresno soils will determine whether the approach becomes a model for other municipal projects.
Broader implications for municipal renewable projects
Developers nationally have faced higher costs in recent years due to inflation and disruptions in material and labor markets. ForeFront Power’s choice to adopt a lower‑complexity, modular system reflects an effort to respond to those pressures while still delivering renewable energy to public customers.
For Fresno, the project adds another municipal resource aimed at controlling electricity costs for essential operations. The city’s water treatment facilities consume considerable power, so on‑site and nearby generation can reduce exposure to market price swings and utility rate increases.
ForeFront Power’s announcement did not include specific dollar figures for construction costs, energy rates or expected annual generation. City officials and ForeFront Power will likely provide more granular data as the system begins regular operation.
The implementation of the Erthos system at a critical public facility positions Fresno to evaluate a different model for ground‑mounted solar that may lower upfront capital needs and expedite deployments if the technology proves robust over time.
