Milpitas schools on the road to becoming Solar City USA
Source: Milpitas Post Staff, April 30, 2008
http://www.themilpitaspost.com/ci_9109442
IN the first issue of the year, the Milpitas Post editorial opinion column was headlined “How about a really imaginative idea for 2008?” It is now coming to pass right here in a unique partnership between Chevron Energy Solutions, Bal Solar II (subsidiary of Bank of America) and the Milpitas Unified School District. It’s all under the blessings of the California Energy Commission.
The school trustees at their last meeting signed a set of contracts to construct a vast series of solar installations in the form of “shade structures” on blacktops that kids can rest under and even park their cars under, at virtually all of our local public school sites. The complex arrangement will see the bank finance the project to be paid back by the district from its savings on its electricity bills. Chevron Energy will design, construct and maintain the solar arrays long term. Bal Solar II will handle the power sale from the district, sending it into the PG&E grid.
It will cover nearly three-quarters of the school’s district’s energy needs. The district will pay $14 million over a 23-year period under the contract. The energy production of the solar energy system will save the district at least an estimated $11 million over that period.
Not only will Milpitas taxpayers save considerably on the monthly PG&E bills but solar power gives an assurance that such bills won’t be going up when the price of oil or natural gas shoots upward. In our call for imaginative new ideas at the outset of 2008, we were thinking solar. Our hope was that a spark might strike our city council members to take a serious look at the way the City of Berkeley has moved forward into the solar energy era.
One of that city’s administrators came forward with a simple but important idea. Why don’t cities use the same mechanism that they’ve employed for nearly a hundred years to get sidewalks installed or power lights put underground? The improvements are put in by selling revenue bonds that are then paid for on the individual property tax bill. These kinds of special assessment districts might need some state-enabling legislation but they make perfect sense for a number of reasons.
Costs would be a lot less than each homeowner going out to get an individual loan. These loans for solar come due as soon as the house is sold unlike the assessment district model. And each homeowner needs to come up with a portion of the cost in cash to get the loan. This obstacle is just one of the reasons solar on homes has been extremely slow to take off. Under the city assessment district concept costs are lower and no upfront cash is required.
The best argument for solar is that in our area it can work wonders to reduce monthly energy bills and the continued need for more generating capacity. Solar energy is technologically feasible and with innovative ideas like these, we at the local level can make our best efforts at slowing global warming and gaining energy independence. It’s a win-win concept whose time has come.