By Greentech
Lead Team: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), in partnership
with SunPower, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and Wells Fargo, has installed
solar parking canopy systems, totaling 2.1 megawatts (MW), at three bus
maintenance divisions.
Using a
Power Purchase Agreement to finance the systems, VTA will save $2.7 million in
electricity costs over the next 20 years.
“VTA
will be saving taxpayer money on energy costs while investing in a future that
will benefit us all. VTA is already combating global warming through the
promotion of mass transit and congestion management. Now, we are reducing
greenhouse gases through our operations, too,” said Santa Clara County
Supervisor and VTA Chair Ken Yeager.
“The
VTA solar project aligns with the City of San Jose’s bold energy efficiency and
renewable energy goals. This type of project also creates jobs and utilizes
technologies from local clean tech companies, like SunPower, that have helped
make our region a national leader in green tech innovation,” said San Jose
Mayor Chuck Reed.
This project
provides significant environmental benefits. The power derived from these solar
panel systems will offset VTA’s three bus maintenance divisions’ electricity
demand. The clean electricity generated by these systems will also offset more
than 2,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, which is
equivalent to removing more than 9,000 cars from California’s roads or planting
10,000 acres of trees over the next 20 years.
“California’s
public sector is expected to save $2.5 billion from solar investments under the
state’s California Solar Initiative program. SunPower has delivered reliable,
high efficiency solar power systems to public agencies across California, and
we applaud the VTA’s significant commitment to solar here in the Silicon
Valley, which will serve the community by minimizing operational costs and
helping to achieve environmental goals,” said SunPower CEO Tom Werner.
VTA financed
the system through a power purchase agreement with SunPower. Under the terms of
the agreement, Wells Fargo owns the systems that SunPower designed, built,
operate, and maintain. VTA is hosting the systems and buying the electricity at
prices that are competitive with retail rates, protected from rising
electricity prices. VTA owns the renewable energy credits and environmental
benefits associated with the system.
For VTA’s
solar project, SunPower constructed three solar parking canopy systems using
5,070 SunPower E19/425 high-efficiency solar panels, which will also provide
shade and protection for VTA vehicles. Two of the solar installations are
located at the VTA’s San Jose facilities, including a 548-kilowatt (kW) system
at its Chaboya Division and a 969-kW system at its Cerone Division. The
third installation is a 637-kW system at the VTA North Division facility in
Mountain View.