ForeFront Power and Erthos Deliver Lower-Cost Solar System for City of Fresno
ForeFront Power, a developer and asset manager specializing in commercial and industrial-scale renewable energy solutions, has achieved commercial operation of its first Erthos solar energy system at the City of Fresno’s Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant. The project demonstrates how innovative solar construction technology can help reduce development costs, improve land-use efficiency and deliver long-term electricity savings for public-sector customers.
The newly operational system uses Erthos’ Earth Mount Solar technology, an alternative approach to conventional ground-mounted photovoltaic installations. Instead of relying on traditional structural steel racking to support solar modules, the Erthos system places the modules directly on the earth. This design eliminates much of the steel procurement, transportation, installation and associated labor typically required for conventional solar projects.
For ForeFront Power, the technology provided an opportunity to address rising construction costs while maintaining the project’s economic viability. The company said that savings achieved through the Erthos design were ultimately passed on to the City of Fresno through lower electricity rates under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement.
Rising Costs Prompt Search for a New Solar Approach
ForeFront Power began working with Erthos in 2023, at a time when inflation, supply-chain disruptions and increased labor costs were placing significant pressure on solar development budgets. The company determined that installing a conventional ground-mounted solar system at the Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant would result in substantially higher construction costs.
Those additional costs would have affected the price of electricity supplied to the City of Fresno. Under the Power Purchase Agreement, ForeFront Power owns and operates the solar system while selling the electricity generated by the facility to the city at a fixed rate that is lower than the applicable utility rate over a 20-year period.
The economics made controlling upfront construction expenses particularly important.
“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. She explained that the technology helped the company avoid significant civil upgrades, structural steel costs and the labor associated with installing conventional racking.
According to Davis, those installation savings ultimately made it possible for the project to move ahead while supporting the City of Fresno’s objective of obtaining lower-cost renewable electricity.
Part of a Larger Fresno Renewable Energy Portfolio
The Erthos installation is not an isolated project. It forms part of a broader portfolio of solar generation and smart battery storage projects developed by ForeFront Power for the City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities.
The portfolio spans three municipal facilities: the Northeast Surface Water Treatment Facility, the Southeast Surface Water Treatment Facility and the Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility.
Together, the projects represent approximately 27 MW-DC of solar capacity. ForeFront Power expects the portfolio to generate more than $122 million in ratepayer savings through 2045, strengthening the economic case for renewable energy deployment across Fresno’s public infrastructure.
The projects also illustrate how municipal facilities with significant electricity consumption can use on-site renewable generation and energy storage to reduce exposure to conventional utility costs while supporting broader sustainability objectives.
Early Performance Exceeds Expectations
The Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant system entered commercial operation in late March 2026. Since then, the installation has delivered performance above its initial expectations.
The system has operated at an average of approximately 101% of expected energy production and has already generated 862 MWh of electricity for the City of Fresno. ForeFront Power and Erthos continue to collaborate on system optimization, with the companies expressing confidence in the installation’s ability to maintain strong performance over the long term.
The early production results are particularly significant because the project represents ForeFront Power’s first deployment of Erthos technology. Strong initial performance could provide an important reference point for future projects where construction costs, site conditions or land constraints make conventional solar development more difficult.
Higher Solar Density Without Traditional Row Spacing
One of the key advantages of the Erthos Earth Mount Solar approach is its ability to increase solar generation capacity within a given area. Traditional ground-mounted photovoltaic systems generally require spacing between rows to reduce shading and provide access for maintenance equipment.
Erthos’ architecture eliminates conventional row spacing, allowing solar modules to be installed at a higher density. ForeFront Power said this enabled the Fresno project to achieve greater generating capacity per acre compared with conventional solar configurations.
The technology can also accommodate uneven terrain. Although the modules are mounted flat on the earth, the Earth Mount Solar system can follow site contours of up to a 15% slope. This flexibility allowed the system to adapt to the natural topography at the Fresno site rather than requiring extensive grading or other costly civil modifications.
For solar developers, minimizing site preparation can be an important factor in determining whether a project is economically feasible, particularly when working with existing industrial or municipal facilities.
Autonomous Cleaning Supports Long-Term Operations
ForeFront Power and Erthos have also entered into an Energy Services Agreement covering operation and maintenance of the solar installation. A key element of the agreement is Erthos’ proprietary ErthBot photovoltaic array cleaning system.
The autonomous cleaning robot uses a dry nylon brush to remove dirt and other material from solar modules. The system was specifically designed for Earth Mount Solar installations and can be deployed automatically according to cleaning requirements.
Each ErthBot is designed to clean more than 3.5 MW-DC of solar photovoltaic capacity. After completing its cleaning cycle, the robot returns to its charging station so it can be deployed again as needed.
Erthos will manage the operation and maintenance of the cleaning equipment under its agreement with ForeFront Power. Automated cleaning is intended to provide an efficient way of maintaining module performance while reducing the need for conventional cleaning labor and equipment.
Keeping solar modules clean is important because accumulated dust and debris can reduce the amount of sunlight reaching photovoltaic cells and consequently lower electricity production. For a large-scale municipal installation, an automated maintenance approach can help maintain consistent system output while controlling operating expenses.
A Model for Cost-Efficient Public-Sector Solar
The Fresno project highlights the role that alternative solar architectures can play in expanding renewable energy deployment. As developers face higher material, labor and construction costs, reducing the number of components required for a project can have a direct impact on overall economics.
By eliminating conventional structural steel racking, reducing civil work and increasing energy density, the Erthos system helped ForeFront Power develop a project capable of meeting Fresno’s energy requirements while supporting a lower electricity price under the Power Purchase Agreement.
Jim Tyler, CEO of Erthos, said the Fresno project demonstrates how Earth Mount Solar can help make projects viable when conventional construction costs create economic constraints. He emphasized the system’s high energy density, maintenance approach and potential to provide lower-cost electricity over the project’s operating life.
For the City of Fresno, the project adds another source of locally generated renewable electricity to its public utility infrastructure while contributing to long-term ratepayer savings. For ForeFront Power and Erthos, meanwhile, the successful deployment provides an early demonstration of how their respective development and solar technology capabilities can work together.
With commercial operations now underway and initial generation exceeding expectations, the Northeast Surface Water Treatment Plant project could serve as a model for other municipalities and large energy users seeking to deploy solar on challenging sites without accepting the full cost of conventional ground-mounted construction.
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