Sunedison solar parking lots to save 25 california schools more than $30 million
SunEdison, Inc., a leading global renewable energy development company, has recently signed solar power purchase agreements with 25 California elementary, middle, and high schools. The company plans to install high-performance solar parking canopies at each campus, allowing the schools to save over $30 million on energy costs in the next two decades.
The school districts benefiting from the new solar systems include Dixon, Downey, Duarte, Livermore, and Newman Crows Landing. These districts have signed 20-year power purchase agreements with SunEdison, totaling over 7.4 megawatts of solar energy, installed as parking canopies in the schools’ parking lots. This innovative approach not only provides shade for parked cars in the scorching California sun but also helps lower electricity costs, which is typically one of a school’s major expenses.
The solar power purchase agreements enable the schools to enjoy the benefits of solar energy without any upfront costs. SunEdison installs, owns, and operates each system, while the schools purchase the solar electricity at lower rates than their local utility offers.
The project is supported by the California joint powers authority SPURR, which helped the districts arrange the solar power agreements with SunEdison. The solar systems are expected to generate enough energy to offset more than half of each school’s electricity consumption. Additionally, the systems are estimated to avoid more than 136 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over 20 years, equivalent to the amount sequestered by 51,000 acres of U.S. forest annually.
SunEdison aims to complete the solar parking canopies in 2016, and SunEdison Services will be responsible for operating and maintaining the solar system.
About SunEdison:
SunEdison is the largest global renewable energy development company, transforming the way energy is generated, distributed, and owned worldwide. The company develops, finances, installs, owns, and operates renewable power plants, delivering cost-effective electricity to residential, commercial, government, and utility customers. SunEdison is also one of the world’s largest renewable energy asset managers, providing customers with asset management, operations and maintenance, monitoring, and reporting services. The company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SUNE.”
Note: The article provides information about SunEdison’s initiative to install solar parking canopies at 25 California schools through power purchase agreements, helping schools save on energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.
