Photo credit: SunPower Corp.
The Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) in California is partnering with SunPower Corp. to install 51 solar power systems at schools throughout the district. So far, 40 of the SunPower systems have been completed with 11 more of them expected to be in place by the end of 2012. Once finished, the entire solar system will reduce the district’s electricity bills by an amazing 92%, saving them over $3 million per year.
Consisting of 28,568 solar panels, the SunPower systems will be installed on the top of building roofs, parking canopies, and playground shade structures, with total solar coverage of 664,683 square feet. It will generate a combined 12.1 megawatts of electricity from the 51 different campuses, offsetting 13,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 2,350 cars off the road every 12 months.
Due to California’s budgetary crisis, school districts across the state are implementing cost-cutting measures such as laying off teachers and eliminating extracurricular activities. But in Contra Costa County, the local community approved Measure C, a bond fund which included funding for this project. Thanks to the savings generated by these solar systems, MDUSD has been able to avoid cutting teachers or closing schools.
The district serves over 30,000 students, making this solar installation the largest of its kind in the world. Over the next 30 years, it is expected to save the district over $220 million in energy costs. Said Superintendent Steven Lawrence, Ph.D., “Not only does our solar project model good environmental stewardship for our students, it will also help generate millions of dollars in funding and cost-savings which are critical for our educational programs in these difficult financial times.”
[via Green Chip Stocks]