Investigative Report: Fremont’s Green Infrastructure Initiatives

By Editor-in-Chief Padma Balaji, Feature Editor Trisha Parikh, and Web Editors Scarlett Huang & Ekasha Sikka

The City of Fremont has prided itself on being a leader in climate action since 2007, directing initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and incorporating sustainability as a key theme in future city goals. As climate change continues to accelerate — with 2024 as the warmest year on record — Fremont has continued to set goals to combat climate change and build resilience.

The city’s Climate Action Plan, titled Climate Ready Fremont, commits Fremont to cutting GHG emissions to 55% of 2005 levels by 2030. In pursuit of this goal, the city has recently launched several climate initiatives, ranging from infrastructural changes for renewable energy — switching residents to Ava Community Energy (Ava)’s Renewable 100 Plan and installing solar microgrids — to restoring local ecosystems and native habitats. FUSD has followed suit, electrifying part of its school bus fleet and introducing bidirectional charging to give back to the grid.

Renewable Energy 

As of August 1, the City of Fremont made a 100% renewable energy plan the default plan for all residents. The energy is provided by Ava, which is a Community Choice Aggregate (CCA), a not-for-profit public agency providing renewable energy to local cities. Fremont, along with 10 other cities in Alameda County, founded Ava in 2016, and it became the area’s default electricity provider and sole renewable energy option for Alameda County in 2018. Ava has since expanded to unincorporated Alameda County, Stockton, and Lathrop as part of CA’s statewide effort to transition to renewable energy.

Ava offers two renewable plans as an alternative to PG&E, the default energy provider for Fremont residents. In 2018, Fremont residents were enrolled in Ava’s Bright Choice Energy plan, which is sourced from 61.8% renewable energy and costs 5% below PG&E rates. In contrast, PG&E’s basic plan is made up of 23% renewable energy. 

Fremont residents are now automatically enrolled in Ava’s other plan, Renewable 100, which costs roughly $3-6 more than the Bright Choice Energy plan and $1-4 more than PG&E monthly. Although it’s now the default plan, residents can still choose to opt out to Ava’s Bright Choice Energy plan or PG&E. The switch to Renewable 100 does not apply to those who have already opted out from receiving Ava’s energy or those who are enrolled in California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA) — both of which provide discounts on energy bills for qualifying low-income households. However, these are currently only available for PG&E clients, not those part of Ava Energy.

Microgrids

Aside from implementing a new renewable energy plan, Fremont is implementing a project to install microgrids with solar panels and battery storage, at six municipal facilities over the next two years. Microgrids are self-contained power systems that provide clean electricity to a local area, such as a campus or neighborhood. Fremont’s microgrids use solar panels to generate electricity and a battery storage system to store and distribute electricity. Microgrids can sell excess energy they generate to Fremont’s centralized electricity grid, increasing renewable energy access for other users and generating a profit. 

Currently, the City is installing microgrids at sites including the Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth, Tri-City Volunteers Food Bank, and two Fremont fire stations. Although these will be installed at municipal sites, Gridscape Solutions, a local business that develops microgrids, will install, operate, and maintain equipment at no cost for the city. These microgrids are expected to save Fremont up to $900,000 over 25 years.

Previous Infrastructure Changes

In previous years, the City of Fremont has built other infrastructure to support a transition to clean energy sources and electrification. Since 2017, the City has installed 17 electric vehicle chargers in Downtown Fremont. The chargers are a part of a broader plan to revitalize Fremont’s downtown into a sustainable, transit-accessible hub for residence and commerce, with close proximity to shopping centers and the Fremont BART station.

Fremont has also taken steps to electrify its municipal facilities. From 2016-18, the city converted road, park, and residential lights to energy-saving LEDs. It also installed solar panels at parking lots across the city, including at the police station, a maintenance center, and Aqua Adventure Water Park. Fremont received incentives from Alameda County for the solar panels, which will reduce the greenhouse gas impact of city infrastructure by 5%. Additionally, Fremont has worked to connect solar programs to affordable housing developers like Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. In recognition for its work in solar technology and electrification, Fremont was the first US city to be awarded the SolSmart Platinum Designation in 2024.

Nature Restoration Initiatives 

Beyond energy infrastructure, Fremont has recently invested in natural restoration projects. One of the city’s major undertakings is the Lake Elizabeth Water Quality Improvement Pilot Project, seeking to rejuvenate the lake ecosystem and prevent fish die-offs. Due to the extreme heat and low dissolved oxygen levels in the lake, a significant die-off of an estimated 1,000 fish occurred during the summer of 2024, prompting the City to launch the initiative. The City Council approved the project’s $175,000 budget in March, utilizing it to install three fountains, nine floating islands, and three continuous monitoring probes. These fixtures are designed to circulate and oxygenate the water while regulating its temperatures. The City aims to prevent excess algae growth, which works to strengthen the lake’s  flood control and stormwater management abilities and improve the lake’s ecosystem and water quality.

The preventative measures were required in accordance with CA’s Municipal Regional Permit and Basin Plan, a regional water quality control plans that enforce the protection of aquatic life and stormwater runoff regulations, among other things. The City of Fremont contracted Applied Mineral Sciences to test the lake’s quality and help determine appropriate action.

A similar project launched this summer is the Stiver’s Lagoon Restoration Project. The lagoon has historically dried out over summers, damaging its native plants and wildlife. By redirecting water from Mission Creek into manually excavated pods, this project will improve the hydrology of the lagoon, strengthening its ecosystem.   

FUSD Infrastructure Changes 

  Since 2021, Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) has been working to follow the city government’s lead by shifting its school bus system towards renewable energy, adding its eleventh electric bus in late 2022. The district aims to reach its goal of directing at least 85% of its energy consumption on electric sources, as opposed to natural gas or other less sustainable fuels, within the next five years, beginning with replacing its remaining diesel-reliant buses with the assistance of state and federal grants. 

  Partnering with both PG&E and the Mobility House, a vehicle-to-grid technology company, and funded by the California Energy Commission, FUSD was able to launch a vehicle-to-grid project that features 14 new electric buses and 22 chargers. The buses are able to send stored energy back to the grid when needed most or during an electric outage, reducing both the risk of blackouts and the cost of charging by up to 70%. This initiative places FUSD as a national leader in sustainable school transportation, as the First in the Nation Project Blueprint, an achievement celebrated at the project’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

  Although MSJ no longer utilizes a general school bus service, the student body can still benefit from this shift as FUSD school buses are still called upon for course field trips. AC Transit, which MSJ students use in place of school buses, is also working towards sustainable changes, aiming to have 100% zero-emission operations by 2040. Additionally, 10% of its buses run electrically or on hydrogen fuel cell technology. 

Public Outreach and Opinion

Alongside their infrastructure projects, Fremont has launched initiatives to raise city-wide awareness about climate issues and the city’s environmental action initiatives. This includes collaborations with environmental nonprofits such as Bright Action, who has worked with Fremont’s sustainability committee to launch MyClimateReady, a platform containing public resources with details of climate projects and their impact. The app details  fiscal information, day-to-day changes to city environmental projects, and climate education in a global context. The City of Fremont has also partnered with Community Climate Solutions (CSS) — a similar climate advocacy and awareness nonprofit — to set up the Fremont Green Challenge, which aims to engage residents with climate change advocacy, education, and infrastructure changes. “We’re proud to be one of the pioneers in this area,”  Former Mayor Lily Mei said.