Carlsbad Unified School District agreed to relocate a planned battery energy storage system, or BESS, at Pacific Rim Elementary School after residents of the nearby Mariners Point community objected to its original placement.

Ryan Murphy, the district's director of facilities planning and construction, walked the campus twice with different groups before settling on a new site. The first visit included only neighbors. The second brought in Carlsbad Fire Department representatives, city staff and residents together, The Coast News reported.

"We walked it again and found a solution," Murphy said.

The new location sits near an existing parking lot off Hidden Valley Road, more centrally on campus than the original spot, according to project documents. The BESS connects to a solar canopy that city spokesperson Sarah Lemons said was expected to have a capacity of 25 kilowatts. Lemons said the battery unit would range between the size of a refrigerator and a small shed.

Rob Nye, whom The Coast News identified as assistant superintendent for business services, called the outcome a "win-win" for all involved. Nye said the new site was an equally acceptable location that met all state design and safety requirements. He told the outlet the district runs community-based schools and wanted to be a good neighbor, working with parents, students and neighbors.

The district filed a coastal development permit application with the city of Carlsbad in February 2026 and mailed public notices to surrounding property owners on May 11. Mariners Point residents then raised their concerns with the district, the city and local media about where the batteries would sit on the property. The sources do not detail the specific nature of those concerns.

The battery project is part of a broader Pacific Rim Elementary modernization funded through the district's Measure HH bond program. The CUSD Board of Trustees approved a notice of completion and deductive change order for Phase I of that modernization at its May 27 meeting. Pacific Rim Elementary serves 642 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The district overall enrolls 10,708 students across 16 schools.

The next regular CUSD board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. at 6225 El Camino Real in Carlsbad.