May 19, 2006—California recently dedicated one of the state’s largest municipal solar projects. The 1.1 Megawatt (MWdc) solar array generates enough electricity during the daytime to power over 1,000 homes.
Designed and built by PowerLight Corporation, the system uses over 6,000 solar electric tiles to convert sunlight directly into clean electricity.
The equipment is located on the city-owned Oakland Ice Center and Municipal Service Center and covers 85,000 square feet of roof space. A 372-kilowatt (kWdc) system atop the Oakland Ice Center generates 31% of the electricity used to make ice and operates two skating rinks in downtown Oakland. A 760-kilowatt (kWdc) system at the Municipal Service Center in the Coliseum Business Park generates 82% of the building’s energy load.
Oakland’s solar project helps the environment while reducing operating costs. The project improves air quality by eliminating 385 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year and yields an estimated $244,000 in annual savings. Oakland also deployed energy conservation initiatives with the solar generation to further decrease the facilities’ utility costs.
