Green | News

Lodi Unified School District Will Raise $5 Million with Solar Installation

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 03/17/11

The Lodi Unified School District in California has begun construction of a 2 megawatt solar photovoltaic system that will generate $200,000 annually.

The $9.9 million system will include four parking lot installations, the largest of which will be a 947 kilowatt system at Ronald E. McNair High School. The other installations will be:

• A 769 kW system at Bear Creek High School;
• A 197 kW installation at Christa McAuliffe Middle School; and
• A 174 kW system at the district office.

The electricity generated by the installations will not be used to power the schools, but will instead be sold to PG&E and Lodi Electric Utility, according to Art Hand, assistant superintendant of facilities and planning for LUSD. Hand said that over the 25-year life of the equipment, the project should generate $5 million in revenue for the district.

Cupertino Electric began installing the systems March 14, with plans calling for construction to be completed this summer, according to information released by the company.

Cupertino Electric is also making all of the energy information from the system available to students online and working with district teachers to create a science curriculum that integrates that information.

"We are excited to begin construction on the multi-campus solar system that will decrease energy costs and, subsequently, increase student-related spending," Hand said. "We plan to positively impact the environment, as well as our students who will gain a real-world opportunity to learn about green jobs and technologies."