Main Street Power awarded 4.5 MW of distributed solar projects for the San Diego Unified School District. In combination with the solar project to be distributed by AMSOLAR, discussed in our blog, the San Diego Unified School District will be receiving a total of 9.6 MW of solar energy. To read more about the contract with Main Street Power, click here.
The City of Chula Vista’s Climate Change Working Group released their Draft Recommendations on Climate Adaptation Strategies. Their strategies include:
-focusing on actively educating the general public and business community about the impacts of climate change
-incorporating shade trees into future municipal projects and private parking lot projects, while also providing a deviation for solar carports
-incorporating reflective paving into all municipal paving projects and private parking lot projects
-promoting the installation of ENERGY STAR products and systems
-providing assistance and non-monetary incentives to local businesses
The Santee School District has completed its first CREB-financed solar PV project with the 283 kW Hill Creek PV Shade Structure System, described below:
The Santee School District will save about $80,000 a year in electricity costs now that Hill Creek School has completed its upgrade to solar energy, Superintendent Pat Shaw said. The school held a ribbon cutting at Hill Creek on Tuesday morning to celebrate its modernization. Shaw said Tuesday afternoon that, in this day of budget reductions, every little bit of cost savings counts.
“It means quite a bit in terms of the money we’ve had to cut back from the budget over the last few years,” he said.
The new system is configured to produce 400,000 kilowatt hours annually, which is about 74 percent of the school’s current need, Shaw said.
To coincide with the upgrade, the school is also launching a green-energy education initiative. A monitor has been set up in the school’s media center so students can track the buildings’ cost savings, and teachers are planning new curriculum around renewable energy, Shaw said.
“It’s not a matter of just talking about green energy,” Shaw said. “It’s a matter of seeing green energy in action.”
Shaw added that he hopes Hill Creek will serve as a model for the entire district.
“We’d love to do this at every school, if possible, in the future,” he said. “If things go well, we certainly will start considering going solar at other schools.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/07/hill-creek-school-unveils-solar-upgrade/
