Energy Initiatives
California District To Install Solar Arrays
SPI's Peaq canopy design lets solar arrays double as covered parking. |
Baldwin Park Unified School District in California will deploy solar arrays across seven of its campuses and its administrative center, an undertaking that could net the district more than $1 million per year in savings and incentive rebates.
The installation is being handled by Solar Power Inc., which estimated that the district will save $22.6 million in energy costs and receive "more than $5 million in performance-based incentive rebates" over 25 years. It will include eight individual systems totaling 2.24 megawatts with the capability to produce "3.246 million kilowatt hours of electricity during the first year of operation," according to SPI.
"This project has been a long time coming and we are very excited to be starting it at a time when it is needed most," said Mark Skvarna, superintendent for Baldwin Park Unified School District, in a statement released last week. "This is exactly the type of cost-saving project most school districts are looking for today. Not only will we be able to significantly reduce our operating costs and have a positive impact on the environment, we are freeing funds for our core mission which is educating our students. The project will also have a beneficial economic impact on our community, creating many local jobs during construction. We couldn't be happier with this solution."
The deployment will use SPI's Peaq solar canopy design (pictured above), which allows the solar arrays to double as covered parking. Construction is expected to begin this summer.