The City of Oceanside has been named as having one of the twenty most innovative government infrastructure projects in the world, earning a Smart 20 Award at the Smart Cities Connect Conference for its citywide Energy Infrastructure Upgrade Program. The award, which recognizes standout projects, highlights an initiative implemented in partnership with OPTERRA Energy Services that is projected to save Oceanside an estimated $26 million over the life of the program.
Throughout City facilities, the project reduces electricity consumption by 4,200 megawatt-hours annually, shaving 157 kilowatts of peak demand, and avoiding more than 2,900 metric tons of CO₂ emissions each year — the equivalent to planting and growing 48,000 trees for a decade. By bundling solar, energy storage, HVAC upgrades, LED lighting, smart controls, and rate optimization into one program, Oceanside leveraged utility savings and state and federal programs to modernize infrastructure and advance its Climate Action Plan. Oceanside advanced innovative financing options to secure $3.2 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding and $150,000 in Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) incentives, broadening the impact and providing a better return on investment. Additionally, because it acted proactively, Oceanside was grandfathered into a more beneficial Net Energy Metering (NEM 2.0) utility program for its solar installations.
“Oceanside residents expect us to make smart decisions with public dollars, and this program delivers on that,” noted Mayor Esther Sanchez. “We modernized aging infrastructure, cut energy costs, put local companies to work, and gave students real hands-on learning opportunities — all without adding to the general fund. That’s the kind of government investment that actually improves people’s daily lives — and that’s what we’ll keep working towards.”
Project Highlights at-a-Glance
- 1.6 MW of solar generation across five City sites
- 250 kW / 514 kWh energy storage system
- LED lighting upgrades at 17 City locations
- Oceanside Civic Center central plant and roof replacement
- Chiller, pump, transformer, and HVAC upgrades
- 89 supply/exhaust fan replacements
- 124 smart thermostats and upgraded Building Management System
- Conduit for future EV charging infrastructure
- Favorable utility rate adjustments at three City sites
“Oceanside’s comprehensive energy infrastructure upgrade demonstrates how cities can transform aging facilities into models of sustainability through a paid-from-savings approach,” said Courtney Jenkins, CEO of OPTERRA Energy Services. “This award-winning initiative stands out for the overarching community engagement benefits that are anchored in the City’s priorities to combine fiscal responsibility, environmental leadership, and community investment to create lasting, replicable change.”
Local Jobs, Local Students, Local Impact
This program has strengthened local workforce development and community participation in the project itself. Some of the notable highlights over the project thus far include: 1) a local contractor outreach fair that led to the hiring of a local, woman-owned roofing company to perform work; 2) hiring a CivicSpark Fellow to work directly on the City’s Climate Action Plan, along with hiring paid interns from local colleges to help advance the City’s housing, and environmental initiatives; and 3) the inclusion of direct, student-focused STEAM offerings as part of the overall program. Youth engagement programming centered on STEAM has included 1,500 solar science kits distributed through the library system, hands-on STEAM learning education programs delivered through summer and after-school camps, and a public art installation in development.
