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Historic Landmark Gains 100 kW Solar PV System

May 23, 2005 | 10 Comments

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San Rafael, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Today the city of Oakland, California kicks of a ceremony and tour of their new 100 kW solar electric system installed on the 1927 landmark building, the Oakland Scottish Rite Center (OSR) located on the shores of Lake Merritt.

The photovoltaic array...is expected to offset $30,000-$37,000 per year in avoided electric costs.

The project was formally interconnected into PG&E's electric utility grid last week and is now the largest photovoltaic (PV) project in the city, according to the project's installers, Sun Power and Geothermal Energy.

The decision by the OSR Board of Directors in favor of moving forward with the installation of the roof-mounted solar PV array was due to solar being the practical and environmentally sound solution for a busy organization with mounting electricity costs. The OSR building is used as a gathering place for the Masonic Fraternity, but also as a venue for wedding receptions, proms, concerts, plays, business meetings, etc.

The photovoltaic array, which is mounted on the roof at a south-facing, 20 degree tilt angle is expected to offset $30,000-$37,000 per year in avoided electric costs. Through net-metering, the system will produce surplus energy on sunny days, which will spin the building's electric meter backwards, selling this power to PG&E at retail rates, and generating a credit on the OSR's monthly electric bill.

The credits obtained for solar generated electricity will then be used up by the facility during nighttime & poor weather days. The solar system had a total cost of approximately $800,000, half of which was paid for by a rebate offered by PG&E's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP).

The 100 kW solar electric system will also help the state of California to reach its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal of obtaining 20 percent of power from renewable energy sources by the year 2017.

Sun Power & Geothermal Energy Co., Inc. will be servicing/monitoring the solar system remotely though its proprietary SunSpot software and hardware system. Along with weather station reporting, real-time electrical production will be posted live every 15 minutes to a website and to an interactive kiosk in the facility's lobby. The software monitoring program will also store and chart daily, monthly, and annual kWh production in order to ensure the solar system is producing as expected.

Additional Information

Oakland Scottish Rite Center (OSR)

Solar Energy

10 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 10

guest-user-0

May 23, 2005

Jesse, I'd suggest, as I did above, simply describing it as the "state SGIP rebate" b/c I'm not so sure that most of your readers are aware it's a state rebate. Why perpetuate IOU propganda?

Comment
2 of 10

jesse-broehl-9395

May 23, 2005

In response to the unidentified guest user urging REA to clarify the specifics of the PG&E Self-Gen rebates -- yes, you are emphatically correct! We know this -- as do most of our readers -- and therefore long-ago made an editorial decision not to reiterate these specifics each time we run a related item. If you disagree with this minor policy, feel free to elaborate via our contact form or by leaving your email address in the comment forum. -- Editor, REA News

Comment
3 of 10

guest-user-0

May 23, 2005

Does anyone know what the annual cost of this system is? We always hear about the electricity costs it will offset, but we never hear about the annual cost of the system and therefore the payback period.

Comment
4 of 10

guest-user-0

May 23, 2005

One more time: it's NOT PG&E's rebate - it's the ratepayers rebate b/c we all pay the fees that support the rebate. I wish REA News would simply describe it as the "state rebate." PG&E and other IOUs simply collect and distribute the cash - and then take credit for the program. Also, non-IOU-owned systems like this do not contribute to the state's RPS goals. The IOUs currently have to build their own renewable generation to meet that goal.

Comment
5 of 10

guest-user-0

May 23, 2005

Yeah Oakland! I love my city. More cities need to take on projects like this!

Comment
6 of 10

guest-user-0

May 24, 2005

To the dolt who couldn't figure it out, the system saves $37,000 a year. Next year it may be more due to rate increases. Maybe if you weren't skipping class on math day in the second grade you could have figured out that balance of $400,000 is quickly amortized in 10 years. For the next 20 years of system life, the system savings will total over $750,000. Or, maybe you would have gotten a bigger kick out of spending that money to build a statue of some dead politician on the waterfront.

Comment
7 of 10

guest-user-0

May 24, 2005

That is Freaking awsome!!!!

Comment
8 of 10

guest-user-0

May 25, 2005

Hey, folks, as the article states the real cost is twice that - which means that the payback is about 22 years (at constant electric rates, but that also doesn't include maintenance and upkeep). So no real savings for 22 years doesn't sound like good finances to me.

Comment
9 of 10

guest-user-0

May 25, 2005

Dear Mathematical genius,

thank you for clarifying that.
I'm sure that you feel better about your superior self now that you have ridiculed the Guess post asking a legitimate question about costs and amortization.

btw - in case you skipped math class in 2nd grade - 400,000 divided by 37,000 is closer to 11 years, not 10 - not that careless rounding would make you a mathematical 'dolt'. Now off to remedial nice-ness class for you.

as for Oakland (& CA) kudos - may there be many more.
;-)>

Comment
10 of 10

guest-user-0

May 30, 2005

As to costs and savings, we know the cost to install; and maintenance is very low, tops $1,000 per year average. The price we compare to is our electric bill rate. This price is so subsidized by us, the tax payers, that it really doesn't reflect the true cost of our electricity. Nor does it take into account the health costs and environmental damage of fossil and nuclear fuels.

Balance all the costs yourselves and decide which way you would choose to generate your energy.

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