La Costa Canyon High School and Canyon Crest Academy — two high schools in northern San Diego, California — have installed one-megawatt (MW) solar “carports” above parking areas that will each account for 70 percent of each school’s needs. According to Sign on San Diego, the solar energy systems are set to be fully functional by January 2011.
The San Diego solar installations have been in the works for quite some time. Back in 2007, the two schools were identified as potential host sites because of their expansive parking areas. Initially,San Dieguito Union High School District looked explored a power purchasing agreement (PPA) as a means of funding the two projects. Rather than have an outside company own and operate the systems, however, the district in the end decided it wanted to own them.
Together, the solar power systems will cost the school district $13 million, which it will pay for through a low-interest construction bond put together with both state and stimulus funding. Each system consists of 850 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
La Costa and Canyon Crest join a long list of California schools that have installed solar energy systems. In October, the Huntington Beach School District installed solar energy atop three of its elementary schools and two of its middle schools. And earlier on this year, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School district put panels atop nine of the district’s 11 elementary schools.
Especially with schools… why not?
Give the students some inspiration and things to think about/learn from while saving money from your annual budget.
This is the perfect use of stimulus or one time grants that will just keep the money flowing.