California School District To Save $12 Million with Solar Power

The Mountain View Los Altos High School District in California has nearly completed construction of a 1.26 megawatt solar photovoltaic system.

The parking lot canopy system was designed and built by Cupertino Electric and funded by a local bond measure.

The system includes a 755 kilowatt installation at Mountain View High School and a 515 kW installation at Los Altos High School. All of the solar panels have been installed, and school representatives said they expect construction to be completed in May.

According to information released by the school district, the system will produce 39.3 million KWH and save more than $12 million through reduced energy costs and rebates from Pacific Gas and Electric over 25 years.

Joe White, Mountain View Los Altos High School District associate superintendent for business services, said, "The 1.26 MW solar system should provide enough power to meet nearly half of the district’s electrical needs and demonstrate why the Los Altos and Mountain View High Schools were one of the first high schools in the county to achieve 'Green School' certification status."

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • An elementary school teacher and young students interact with floating holographic screens displaying colorful charts and playful data visualizations in a minimalist classroom setting

    New AI Collaborative to Explore Use of Artificial Intelligence to Improve Teaching and Learning

    Education-focused nonprofits Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator have partnered to launch the School Teams AI Collaborative, a yearlong pilot initiative that will convene school teams, educators, and thought leaders to explore ways that artificial intelligence can enhance instruction.

  • landscape photo with an AI rubber stamp on top

    California AI Watermarking Bill Supported by OpenAI

    OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is backing a California bill that would require tech companies to label AI-generated content in the form of a digital "watermark." The proposed legislation, known as the "California Digital Content Provenance Standards" (AB 3211), aims to ensure transparency in digital media by identifying content created through artificial intelligence. This requirement would apply to a broad range of AI-generated material, from harmless memes to deepfakes that could be used to spread misinformation about political candidates.

  • closeup of laptop and smartphone calendars

    2024 Tech Tactics in Education Conference Agenda Announced

    Registration is free for this fully virtual Sept. 25 event, focused on "Building the Future-Ready Institution" in K-12 and higher education.

  • cloud icon connected to a data network with an alert symbol (a triangle with an exclamation mark) overlaying the cloud

    U.S. Department of Commerce Proposes Reporting Requirements for AI, Cloud Providers

    The United States Department of Commerce is proposing a new reporting requirement for AI developers and cloud providers. This proposed rule from the department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) aims to enhance national security by establishing reporting requirements for the development of advanced AI models and computing clusters.