Thirty California Schools to Receive
Photovoltaic Systems
Thirty schools throughout California will get financial incentives
from the state to produce their own electricity from the sun's
free and plentiful radiance.
Under the Energy Commission's Solar School Program, the schools
will share $4.5 million in incentives to install their own solar
photovoltaic systems (PV) of up to 30 kilowatts.
The PV technology will convert sunlight directly to electricity
to power lights, air conditioners, freezers and other equipment
at almost no cost to the schools.
Program recipients are grade schools and high schools within the
territory of California's three largest investor owned utility
companies - Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison,
and San Diego Gas and Electric.
The schools will harvest a total of 700 kilowatts from their systems
and will help California inch closer to its goal of producing 20
percent of its electricity from the sun and other renewable sources
by 2010.
The $4.5 million in incentives are shared equally by the Energy
Commission's Emerging Renewables Program and the California Attorney
General's AGAERA funds - short for Alternative Energy Retrofit
Account. The account comes from settlements from the state's energy
investigation into power companies for illegal electricity pricing
practices during the energy crisis of 2001 to 2002.
Over 60 school districts applied for the one-time $6.40-a-watt
special rebate incentive - twice the amount of the regular Emerging
Renewables Program rebate level for solar, wind, and other eligible
systems at the time. Only half of the public and charter schools
applying for the program met eligibility requirements and were
awarded reservations before the limited funds were fully subscribed.
These requirements include a board resolution indicating the readiness
to build including a signed contract with a retailer; that the
applicant has previously installed energy efficient lighting, and
will be ready for a curriculum tie-in to teach school children
on the benefits of solar energy and conservation.
Solarbuzz.com
| Back | Next
|
|
