For Immediate Release: October 19, 2004
Media Contact: Percy Della - 916-654-4989
$4.5 Million in Rebates to Help 30 Schools
Build Their Own Solar Photovoltaic Systems
Sacramento - 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.
PV technology converts 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 Renewbles 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.
A typical PV system converts the sun's energy into direct current (DC), runs it through an inverter, and turns it into alternating current (AC), used by the majority of appliances and electrical systems. The AC power either flows into the school building or, if not needed, into the electric utility's transmission lines.
If the system produces an excess amount of power on sunny days, the electricity is fed into the utility grid under a ̉net metering' agreement with the utility, turning the customer's electric meter backwards. Electricity is drawn from the grid in the evening and often during days when the system does not produce as much electricity as the school needs.
(Editors: following is a list of schools and the approved reservation funds to build their systems.)
Approved Solar Schools Program Applications
| Number | School District/School Name | Address | Watts | Utility | Reserved Funding |
| 1. | Alpine Union School District (Joan MacQueen Middle School) | 2001 Tavern Road, Alpine, CA 91901 | 29,180 watts | SDG&E | $186,752 |
| 2. | Antelope Valley Union High School District (Henry Hearns Charter School K-8) | 37721 100th Street East, Littlerock, CA 93543 | 29,934 watts | SCE | $191,578 |
| 3. | Big Lagoon School District (Equinox Center for Education) | 470 Union Street, Arcata, CA 95541 | 8,289 watts | PG&E | $53,050 |
| 4. | Bridgeville School District (Bridgeville Elementary School) | 38717 Kneeland Road, Bridgeville, CA 95526 | 7,368 watts | PG&E | $47,155 |
| 5. | Buena Vista School District (Buena Vista Elementary School) | 21660 Road 60, Tulare, CA 93274 | 27,300 watts | SCE | $174,420 |
| 6. | Centinela Valley Union High School District (Leuzinger High School) | 4118 W. Rosecrans Avenue, Lawndale, CA 90260 | 29,887 watts | SCE | $191,277 |
| 7. | Green Point School District (Green Point Elementary School) | 180 Valkensar Lane, Blue Lake, CA 95525 | 2,497 watts | PG&E | $14,337 |
| 8. | Harmony Union School District (Salmon Creek Middle School) | 1935 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, CA 95465 | 29,234 watts | PG&E | $187,098 |
| 9. | John Swett School District (John Swett High School) | 1098 Pomona Street, Crockett, CA 94525 | 27,266 watts | PG&E | $174,501 |
| 10. | Laguna Beach Unified School District (Top of the World Elementary School) | 21601 Tree Top Lane, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 | 29,000 watts | SCE | $185,600 |
| 11. | Lakeside Joint School District (Lakeside Elementary School) | 19621 Black Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033 | 19,214 watts | PG&E | $122,970 |
| 12. | Larkspur School District (Hall Middle School) | 200 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939 | 29,887 watts | PG&E | $191,276 |
| 13. | Nevada County Superintendent Of Schools (Champion Mine School Grades 9-12) | 700 Hoover Lane, Nevada City, CA 95959 | 14,426 watts | PG&E | $92,326 |
| 14. | Nevada County Superintendent Of Schools (Special Ed Building at the Union Hill Elementary School) | 11638 Colfax Highway, Grass Valley, CA 95945 | 14,426 watts | PG&E | $92,326 |
| 15. | Northern Humboldt Union High School District (Arcata High School) | 1720 M Street, Arcata, CA 95521 | 27,829 watts | PG&E | $178,106 |
| 16. | Palo Alto Unified School District (Escondido Elementary School) | 890 Escondido Road, Stanford, CA 94305 | 20,000 watts | PG&E | $128,000 |
| 17. | Petaluma City Elementary School District (McDowell Elementary School) | 421 South McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, CA 94952 | 20,017 watts | PG&E | $128,109 |
| 18. | Petaluma Joint Union High School District (Petaluma High School) | 201 Fair Street, Petaluma, CA 94952 | 20,000 watts | PG&E | $128,000 |
| 19. | Placerville Union School District (Edwin Markham Middle School) | 2800 Moulton Drive, Placerville, CA 95667 | 29,887 watts | PG&E | $191,277 |
| 20. | Pollock Pines Elementary School District (Sierra Ridge Middle School) | 2700 Amber Trail, Pollock Pines, CA 95726 | 29,999 watts | PG&E | $191,994 |
| 21. | Ramona Unified School District (Mt. Woodson Elementary School) | 17427 Archie Moore Rd., Ramona, CA 92065 | 29,999 watts | SDG&E | $191,994 |
| 22. | Red Bluff Joint Union High School District (Red Bluff High School) | 1260 Union Street, Red Bluff, CA 96080 | 29,887 watts | PG&E | $191,277 |
| 23. | Ripon Unified School District (Weston Elementary School) | 1660 Stanley Drive, Ripon, CA 95366 | 20,000 watts | PG&E | $128,000 |
| 24. | Ross Valley School District (White Hill Middle School) | 101 Glen Drive, Fairfax, CA 94930 | 20,000 watts | PG&E | $128,000 |
| 25. | Shoreline Unified School District (West Marin School Grades 2-8) | P.O. BOX 300, Pt. Reyes, CA 94956 | 19,988 watts | PG&E | $127,923 |
| 26. | Sonoma Valley Unified School District (Woodland Star Charter School Grades K-7) | 17805 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476 | 29,982 watts | PG&E | $191,885 |
| 27. | South Pasadena Unified School District (South Pasadena High School) | 1401 Fremont Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030 | 20,000 watts | SCE | $128,000 |
| 28. | Southern Kern Unified School District (Rare Earth High School) | 3082 Glendower Street, Rosamond, CA 93560 | 29,934 watts | SCE | $191,578 |
| 29. | West Sonoma County Union High School District (Analy High School) | 6980 Analy Avenue, Sebastopol, CA 95472 | 28,000 watts | PG&E | $179,200 |
| 30. | Willits Unified School District (Willits High School) | 299 N. Main Street, Willits, CA 95490 | 29,999 watts | PG&E | $191,994 |
| | | TOTAL
Watts: | 703,429 | TOTAL Funding: | $4,500,000 |
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