California State Program to Put Solar on Schools

Public schools from kindergarten through grade 12 soon will begin generating their own electricity from solar energy using funds from renegotiated long-term contracts…

Sacramento, California – October 18, 2002 [SolarAccess.com] Public schools from kindergarten through grade 12 soon will begin generating their own electricity from solar energy using funds from renegotiated long-term contracts. Governor Gray Davis announced the new state program to help put solar arrays on schools this week. “Using solar energy allows school districts to spend more of their funds on education, not energy,” Davis said. “In addition, it will give students a working knowledge of the benefits of Renewable Energy technology.” As part of the renegotiations of the energy contracts with the State Attorney General’s office, US$1.25 million was collected from long-term electricity contracts with Calpine Energy Services, LP and Constellation Power Source, Inc. More money may become available as the Attorney General renegotiates additional long-term contracts with other energy companies. Dubbed “Solar Schools,” the new program will be administered by the California Energy Commission on behalf of the Power Authority. It will pay up to 90 percent of the purchase and installation cost of adding PV panels. Up to 50 percent of the cost of the PV system will come from the Energy Commission’s existing Renewable Energy Buydown Program and 40 percent will come from the Attorney General’s renegotiated settlements. School districts may also be eligible for a State loan to cover the remaining 10 percent of a project’s cost. Requirements for the Solar Schools Program are identified in the Energy Commission’s Buydown Program Guidebook.