The city of Fresno “flipped the switch” on the nation’s largest combined solar and battery storage project at 2108 S. Cornelia Ave.

Fresno partnered with Forefront Power, a private San Francisco-based company on the 34 megawatt project.

The facility helps to control operational energy costs including the regional wastewater treatment plant at the Cornelia address and two other city water treatment plants.

It was built using federal tax credits and through agreements with power purchase agreements or PPAs. Funding of the facility was at no cost to taxpayers.

“What really makes this project special is that, we’re able to, pull off or, separate ourselves from the electrical grid,” says Brock Buche, the city’s director of public utilities. “We are using the power generated by these solar panels to operate our large wastewater treatment plant. We don’t have to pull that from PG&E. It’s just all from these panels.”