The project required no upfront investment by the district and is expected to save upwards of $520,000 within the first year of operation alone, with $35 million in savings over the next 25 years by providing affordable power at a discount to utility rates, according to a statement by SolarCity, the San Mateo, Calif.-headquartered renewable electricity firm that completed the project.

“Like many school districts across the county, Temecula Valley has faced increasing budget cuts and rising operational expenses,” said Janet Dixon, director of facilities development at Temecula Valley Unified School District, in a statement. “With SolarCity, we found a creative way to cut our electricity bills. This money will free up funds for the district to invest in student programs and curriculum.”

Altogether, the project includes 18 solar carports and two ground-mount solar arrays. The carports will incorporate SolarCity’s ZS Beam technology, while five of the sites will also be equipped with DemandLogic, the company’s smart energy storage system. The systems will provide approximately 2,600-kilowatt hours of energy storage capacity that can later be intelligently dispatched during times of highest demand. In turn, the school district will reduce energy costs by using stored electricity to lower peak demand, further contributing to its overall cost savings.

With all elements combined, the system is expected to prevent more than 96,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere over its lifetime; the equivalent to taking more than 20,000 cars off the road for a year. In addition, because solar power production requires virtually no water, the system is expected to avoid the use of more than 4 billion gallons of water.

A Power Purchase Agreement with SolarCity will allow the district to only pay for the power the systems produce at a fixed rate that is less than what is currently offered by the local utility company, according to a statement by SolarCity. The district also retained independent energy consulting firm Sage Renewable Energy Consulting Inc. of Inverness, Calif., to help assess project feasibility and determine cost-effective, energy-optimizing designs for each site. The consultants helped to solicit and organize proposals for the projects and select the best candidate to meet the district’s specifications and goals, according to a statement by SolarCity.

Beyond simply providing energy cost savings, the project also promises to provide an opportunity for students to learn about solar energy and storage. The project will offer students access to a solar production monitoring system, allowing them to see exactly how much energy the schools’ photovoltaic panels are producing on an hourly, daily, monthly and yearly basis, according to a statement by SolarCity.

For more information on the project visit:

The post Temecula Valley Schools Embrace Green Energy appeared first on ÍøÆسԹÏ.

The post Temecula Valley Schools Embrace Green Energy appeared first on ÍøÆسԹÏ.

"We’re hesitant to let legislators cut anything more," joked the host.

The ceremony, which took place at Piedmont Hills High School, marked the completion of a 7.1-megawatt project at 13 sites at the East Side Union High School District in San Jose, Calif., that is expected to generate $43 million in savings.

The new solar energy system and the additional efficiency upgrades are expected to generate savings in the first year equal to the funding required for about 30 teacher jobs, and to improve the learning environment, said Lan Nguyen, president of the East Side Union High School District Board.

"At a time when our district is being forced to absorb painful budget cuts, due to the continued economic downturn, this program is a huge reason to celebrate," Nguyen said.

The school district occupies a 180-square-mile area of San Jose and serves about 24,000 students at its 18 high schools.
District officials expect the program to offset its yearly electrical usage by more than 55 percent, which will allow them to reduce their purchase of utility power and, as a result, reduce carbon emissions by more than 4,900 metric tons.

Environmental awareness and energy consciousness will also be tied into the curriculum, with resources provided by Chevron Energy Solutions, who designed and constructed the project.

The company will operate, maintain, measure and guarantee the solar system’s performance for the district.
In addition to the solar panels, the company engineered and installed lighting upgrades and efficiency motors, among other upgrades.

"The district is creating critical budget relief in an economic environment, which demands creative, responsible strategies," said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions.

Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of education, said the goal for schools in California is to get off the grid. He said he hopes to see the project spread to other districts, in connection with his schools of the future program.

"The spirit of Silicon Valley is innovation," said Nora Campos, a California state assembly member for the 23rd district and alumna the East Side schools.

The money saved by the solar panels will fund teachers who can plant seeds for the future by training students to be able to get local jobs, she said.

At the ceremony, leadership student Kelsey Chan said the solar panels had a strong economic and environmental impact for the students.

"Youth are becoming increasingly conscientious about our environment," she said. "We want to do everything we can."

Chan said the on-site educational opportunities would be a great benefit to the students.

"In the current financial state, we didin’t think solar panels would be a possibility," she said. "It makes us as students more optimistic about the future."

Marisa Hanson, president of the East Side Teachers Association, she said was happy to see an actual solution amidst many complaints about the budget crisis.

"We can complain, or we can actually do something about it," she said.

In addition to funding teachers, the savings can also restore positions in the future, like librarians, said Neil Struthers, CEO of the Santa Clara and San Benito Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

Struthers said the construction industry has been hit the hardest by the recession and that some have been out of work for two years.

"This district does things in a big way," he said. "This will lead to good jobs, and safe jobs."

The post Ceremony Held for Large California K-12 Solar Project appeared first on ÍøÆسԹÏ.

The post Ceremony Held for Large California K-12 Solar Project appeared first on ÍøÆسԹÏ.