Solar array facility dedication puts County into 1 megawatt club

September 25, 2008

The energy was high at the dedication of the newest solar array facility as community leaders celebrated the County of Solano becoming the largest generator of solar power in the county.

The 746,000-watt solar array project will generate almost 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, enough power to provide nearly 60 percent of the electricity needs at the adjacent Claybank Adult Detention Facility. County officials estimate the project will generate more than $1 million in energy savings over the next 20 years.

“This county has made a commitment to expand the use of clean renewable energy,” said Supervisor John Silva, Chairman of the Solano County Board of Supervisors. “Today’s facility shows how we can capture green energy in a smart, sensible way.”

The County has two other solar electric facilities: a 230,000-watt system on the roof the Health and Social Services building on Beck Avenue and a 120,000-watt array on the parking structure of the County Government Center in downtown Fairfield.

The solar array on Claybank Road serves double duty as a shade structure for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District buses which uses the old missile magazine site as a parking lot.

“We took a piece of land with limited development potential and converted it into a producer of cost effective green power for a critical County facility.  That’s doing the right thing in a smart business way,” said Supervisor John Vasquez.

Honeywell constructed the solar array and will own and maintain it for the next 20 years. The County will purchase the power from Honeywell at a low fixed rate that reduces the cost of electricity during peak times. In addition, the County will receive half of the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) generated by the project.

In February 2008, the County became the first public entity to receive RECs issued by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.

“Identifying the right renewable energy technology to meet a customer’s unique requirements, and doing it in a fiscally responsible way, is our goal in helping customers go green,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “Solano County will benefit for years to come from the financial and environmental benefits this project will deliver.”

The energy produced from the project is estimated to reduce the County’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 14,571 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 20 years. “That’s equivalent to not burning 1.6 million gallons of gasoline or recycling 4,805 tons of waste destined for the landfill,” said Jason Campbell, County Facilities Manager.

The Claybank solar project is partially funded by the incentives in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s initiative to have 3,000 megawatts of new solar facilities installed on homes and businesses by 2017.

Using renewable energy, such as the solar photovoltaic system being used on Claybank, helps the County reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels and the impacts on climate change, Campbell said. By taking advantage of the incentives available from the state, Federal tax credits and modified depreciation formulas, the new solar system is cost effective.

After the 20-year agreement expires, the County can continue purchasing electricity from Honeywell or it may acquire ownership of the panels.

Released: Sept. 25, 2008