Milpitas, CA schools mull solar power for campuses
by Jeff Gire, Nov 1, 2007
Source: MilpitasPost.com
http://www.themilpitaspost.com/schools/ci_7342530
When recycling was introduced to schools years ago, parents who accidentally dropped a glass bottle or aluminum can into the trash got a critical look from their youngster. Now, those recycling-conscious students who have grown up to have children might soon be getting similar discriminating stares when their kids notice that their roof has no solar panels. Following the lead of San Jose Unified School District, the Milpitas Unified School District has begun taking steps to receive as much as 30 percent of its energy needs from on-campus solar panels.
“I wanted to be ahead of other school districts,” Superintendent Karl Black said. “I didn’t want to be last in line.” During its Oct. 23 meeting, the Board of Education voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with Chevron to develop a solar assessment at a cost of $25,000 to $35,000. The vote followed a presentation by Lindsey Corbin with Chevron Energy Solutions, which reviewed the findings of a preliminary report on the feasibility of a solar energy system in the school district.
Corbin explained how the solar program would be financed by a third party. In the case of the San Jose schools, Bank of America will pay the construction and installation costs. The third party receives state and federal solar incentives and is paid back by the school district over 20 years. The savings from solar power would be used to offset these payments as well as save the district as much as $10 million over the 25-year minimum useful life of the system, based on projections of raising energy costs in the report. According to the report, if the district were to purchase the system sooner, using bond dollars, the savings could be as high as $18 million.
“We start saving money right away. But even if we broke even, we’re doing a good thing for the environment,” board President Marsha Grilli said. Chevron’s solar assessment will proceed in upcoming months in order to determine sites for solar installations. A spokesperson with Chevron said that solar panels will most likely be installed on rooftops or as part of parking lot shade structures.
According to Corbin, the panels themselves are durable and low-maintenance. The preliminary report indicated that the annual upkeep cost, which consists mostly of cleaning the panels, would fall somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000 annually.
Beyond finding installation sites for panels, the investigation will search for a third party investor. According to a Chevron spokesperson, the investigation will allow several possible lenders to compete for the bid before final approval by the school district.
The district’s director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation, John Cimino, said while the technology has been available for some time, funding has been a problem. Due to recent state and federal incentives that make investment in solar energy desirable, that problem has been alleviated. “In previous years, the payback was very long, so we couldn’t really fund it. This opportunity to have a third party involved looks great,” he said.
Cimino first became aware of the program after hearing about the San Jose schools’ partnership with Chevron in July. This led to a meeting with representatives from Chevron and San Jose Unified School District. The more he heard, the more Cimino became convinced it would work in Milpitas. “It sounded like an interesting project and a novel idea.”
Besides saving money and helping the environment, the board, as well as district administrators, were enthused about the solar energy program tying into classwork. The board also noted the lesson in stewardship solar power teaches children. “We’re very, very excited about doing this,” Black said at the board meeting. “It’s about doing the right thing.”