Huntington Beach City Schools Revs STEM, Saves $16.3 Million with Energy Upgrades

The Huntington Beach City School District (HBCSD) has completed the latest phase in an initiative that will save the district an estimated $16.3 million while enriching science, technology, engineering arts and math (STEAM) education for students.

"In early 2010, HBCSD began what would become a multi-year partnership with OpTerra to transform the district's energy performance through a unique combination of solar and energy efficiency projects across nine schools, in addition to integrating STEAM education opportunities into the broader scope of work," according to a news release. "Leveraging multiple funding sources, including $1.6 million in California Solar Initiative rebates and more recently, $1.4 million in Prop 39 funds, HBCSD administration prioritized building a paid-from-savings program to ensure that the district would have no out of pocket expenses during the development of the large-scale sustainability project."

The district now has 1 megawatt of solar generation across multiple schools which, paired with demand-side management steps, has led to a 70 percent savings in energy costs. The district was able to redirect those funds to academics and initiatives that more directly effect students

Key activities OpTerra's Education Team has helped the district with include:

  • Professional development activities focused on wind, solar, hydro and other energy generation methods with curriculum and in-class guidance for teachers of grades preK-8;
  • The ability to access live energy production data via an interactive website; and
  • A STEM program for students in grade 6 that used hands-on solar science modules as the district expanded from a semester of science to a full year for students in that grade.

"Through our recent completion of the second phase of this innovative sustainability impact project, HBCSD is building a tremendous legacy for taking on an engaged, early action mentality that we know other school districts can adopt to achieve similar success to address environmental and fiscal issues," said Gregg Haulk, superintendent at the district, in a prepared statement.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • robot typing on a computer

    Microsoft Unveils 'Computer Use' Automation in Copilot Studio

    Microsoft has announced a new AI-powered feature called "computer use" for its Copilot Studio platform that allows agents to directly interact with Web sites and desktop applications using simulated mouse clicks, menu selections and text inputs.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.