"With the cost-competitive solar power generated by our SunPower systems, the university will control electricity costs and reduce our carbon footprint," said Willem van der Pol, interim associate vice president for facilities management at CSUF, in a statement. "CSUF has supported sustainability in our operations for more than two decades, and we are proud to support the long-term health of our students, staff and community by increasing our reliance on solar power."

SunPower is building solar carports on two CSUF parking structures as well as a parking lot. At all three sites, the company will install its high-efficiency, direct-current solar panels, the world’s first solar panels to achieve a Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver designation. All of the systems are expected to be operational by the end of 2016, and CSUF will own the renewable-energy credits associated with the systems.

“It is extremely rewarding to enable our higher-education institutions to achieve significant operational savings while inspiring students with the great potential of solar power," said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, business units, in a statement.

When operational, the solar power generated by the system will be equivalent to the energy used by 501 average American homes in one year, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates. SunPower estimates that one year of solar energy produced by the CSUF system could power more than 2,000 electric vehicles for 30 years, according to a statement by the firm.

This project is the latest in a 20-plus-year history of CSUF instituting efficient and sustainable practices. The campus installed its first 1-megawatt solar power system in 2012 and has constructed several LEED-certified buildings. Lighting efficiency is regularly upgraded, and low-flow fixtures and irrigation meters have also been installed across the campus. In addition to the university’s energy-smart, tri-generation plant, bio-swales were built to retain rainwater, and turf was replaced with drought-tolerant plants.
 

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Altogether, the project will replace 42 classroom unit ventilators and all windows original to the 1961 portion of the building. A new wood pellet boiler will soon provide most of the school’s heat. Using wood pellets will also help support the forest products industry, an important part of the local and regional economy, as wood pellets are considered carbon neutral.

Other major improvements at the 101,000-square-foot high school include unifying the building’s three separate heat circulation loops and upgrading its heating and ventilation controls system to provide better comfort and efficiency. Crews will also install energy recovery ventilation systems in the gymnasium and auditorium and demand-controlled ventilation in the cafeteria. Interior lighting improvements will include installing efficient and dimmable LED lamps and controls, and all exterior parking lot lighting will be upgraded to LED technology.

The funds supporting Otter Valley Union High School’s various improvements will be generated through energy cost savings efforts completed through a partnership with Milwaukee-headquartered Johnson Controls with assistance from SameSun of Rutland, Vt. Together, the three are implementing a $3.6 million energy performance contract that will help the school dramatically reduce its carbon emissions, paying for the improvements over the next 18 years through substantial energy cost savings, according to a statement by Johnson Controls.

A 227kW solar photovoltaic array on the building’s roof is anticipated to produce half of the electricity used by the school annually, and is on hold pending resolution by the state’s Public Service Board and local utilities, including Green Mountain Power. The school will be incorporating the solar project into its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education efforts, benefiting both education and local taxpayers, as it will lessen the facility’s dependence on electricity from the grid. The solar array and other efforts are expected to reduce the school’s carbon footprint by more than 75 percent.

“We believe the solar project we’ve designed with the help of Johnson Controls and local solar developer SameSun of Rutland has all the favorable characteristics worthy of a ‘Certificate of Public Good’ from the Public Service Board,” said Superintendent Jeanne Collins, in a statement. “It will be located on top of our school, not visible from the ground, and almost all the power it produces will be used on site.”

Otter Valley has budgeted roughly $300,000 annually in recent years to meet its energy needs. When the energy performance contract is fully implemented, the school expects to spend approximately $100,000 per year on heating fuels and electricity. Meanwhile the school will also put $160,000 annually toward paying for the project.
 

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