The Solano Community College District (SCCD) commissioned 2.8MW of PV systems on Thursday, ushering in a new age of renewable-energy implementation for the academic institution.
The systems are based at three separate facilities: Solar parking canopies at the college’s Fairfield campus and installations at both the Vacaville and Vallejo districts.
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According to the SCCD, the installs are expected to provide enough energy to meet as much as 50% of the annual electricity needed of the three sites.
Yulian Ligioso, SCCD’s vice president of finance and administration, said: “Solar power is a reliable, affordable means to reduce our operational costs as well as our dependence on fossil fuels…With SunPower as our solar technology provider, we expect the systems will generate significant savings over the next 25 years for the benefit of the district, our students and our communities.”
The systems were designed and constructed by SunPower. Kitchell, a construction firm with offices located in California, Arizona, Tennessee and Texas, managed the assembly of the facilities.
According to data released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2.8MW systems are expected to offset the production of around 2200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Howard Wenger, SunPower’s president of regions, said: “Installing these high efficiency systems on solar shade structures in parking lots allows the district to maximise the clean, renewable energy generated while taking advantage of underutilised space and providing needed shade…With on-campus SunPower systems that deliver guaranteed performance, Solano Community College District can realise long-term savings that can be used to enhance academic programs.”