Sacramento State, CSU going green with new solar energy agreement

Sacramento State, along with several other campuses in the California State University system, will tap into the power of the sun through a public-private partnership between SunEdison and the CSU.

The CSU and the California Department of General Services (DGS) announced Oct. 21 that 8 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic power generation will be coming online at 16 CSU campuses. 

These photovoltaic systems are expected to deliver approximately 12.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean renewable energy in their first year of operation, the equivalent annual energy consumption of 1,256 households.

Sacramento State will receive about 500 kilowatts of solar energy from panels located on the Library and the top deck of Parking Structure III during the first phase of the project, according to Nat Martin, Sacramento State energy conservation coordinator. Environmental assessments should occur before the end of the year, with construction beginning soon after.

The plan for the second phase will see panels installed on the University Union, Recreation and Wellness Center and student housing. Construction for those projects should begin once the first phase is complete.

“The way we look at energy in this nation is changing at electron speeds, and the California State University campuses are ideal locations for solar technology,” says University President Alexander Gonzalez.  “At Sacramento State, we are training the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who will guide us into a renewable energy future, as well as expanding our partnerships with government agencies and private industry.”

The University uses about 43 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. The panels will provide about 782,000 kWh. “That’s about 2 percent,” Martin says. “It may not seem like much, but every little bit helps and it’s renewable.”

Martin says the University has been trying to get a substantial solar presence on campus for about five years, but cost was the biggest hurdle.

“The problem everywhere with solar is the immediate cost versus the long-term savings. There is a high up-front cost for savings that can come decades later. With this agreement with the CSU, a third-party owns and operates the panels and sells the power to us. We don’t have to come out of pocket and it becomes financially feasible.”

In addition to Sacramento State, solar panels will be installed at:
CA Maritime Academy, Vallejo; CSU Bakersfield; CSU Channel Islands; CSU Chico; CSU Fullerton; CSU Humboldt; CSU Los Angeles; CSU Monterey Bay; CSU Pomona (Cal Poly); CSU San Bernardino; CSU San Bernardino (Palm Desert): CSU San Francisco; CSU San Marcos; CSU Stanislaus; and, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, Long Beach.

The CSU already receives 15 percent of system-wide electricity from green sources. In total, the new agreements will ensure that more than 20 percent of all CSU power comes from green sources.

“Under the agreements put together by DGS, we can now do more to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Len Pettis, Chief Plant, Energy and Utilities at the CSU Chancellor’s Office. “Eight megawatts of affordable renewable energy is a good deal for the CSU and the planet. The agreements will offset approximately 9,485 metric tons of carbon dioxide or the equivalent of removing 48,937 cars from the road.”

SunEdison will finance, build and operate the solar energy systems. CSU campuses will purchase the solar energy at prices equal to or less than current retail rates. The solar power systems will produce zero greenhouse gases.

For more information about the solar project, contact Martin at 278-3639.