News

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Districts’ first solar panel project

A message from Project Manager Carl Mayrose, Santa Barbara Secondary School District

At a recent meeting the board of education approved a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for installing solar panels at San Marcos High School. The RFQ is being sent to 15 vendors who have expertise installing and operating solar panels on school campuses. Of the vendors who respond to this request three finalists will be asked to submit proposals for a solar installation at San Marcos.

The solar panel project at San Marcos is a pilot program for our districts and is expected to result in annual energy cost savings, more predictable utility budgeting, a more stable energy source, and a reduction in the school's carbon footprint. Importantly, this installation will include an ongoing educational component supporting the environmental sciences programs for our students, real-time monitoring of energy usage and savings, charging stations for electric vehicles, and the infrastructure to increase electric vehicle charging capacity as electric vehicles become more common.

Finally, because of the availability of a type of contract known as a power purchase agreement and because of various incentives and rebates, it is expected that this project can be completed with no capital expenditure required by the districts and no incurrence of debt.

The Santa Barbara School Districts have taken many steps over the years to reduce our carbon footprint, to reduce utility costs, and to promote green and sustainable practices. This pilot project at San Marcos represents an exciting new opportunity to reduce our environmental impact, one we are hoping to emulate at all of our schools.