$3.2 Million Solar Electricity System to Power Chatsworth High School

By November, nearly 40 percent of the electricity required to power Chatsworth High School will come from the sun.

A $3.2-million 484.12-kilowatt (KW) photovoltaic system is being built over 147 parking spaces in the lot on the northeast corner of the campus.

"LAUSD has been building photovoltaic structures throughout the district to offset ever-escalating electrical costs and, just as important, to provide substantial savings directly to the general fund which, in turn, saves teachers’ jobs," said Shannon Haber, a school district spokesperson.

She said that bond funds, which cannot be used for teacher salaries or to pay regular utility bills, are financing construction.

The photovoltaic systems "minimize our impact on the environment by making our schools more sustainable, and are able to lower the district’s General Fund costs for electricity," she said. "This maximizes the district's limited resources in the classroom."

The LAUSD’s Renewable Energy Photovoltaic Program includes 59 project sites with an estimated 21 megawatts of energy production to be completed by the first quarter of 2013. "LAUSD has a 75 megawatt goal to reduce the ever increasing electric costs," Haber said.

Chatsworth Solar Project Details:

• System Size – 484.12  KW
• Cost of System - $3.2 Million (Design/ Build, 20 year M&O Contract, 10 Year Performance Guarantee)
• Project was not Financed, it was fully paid for through Bond Funds
• LADWP Incentive Rebates - $1,000,000
• Will offset 30-40 percent of the electric peak loads of the school
• System is conservatively projected to generate 13,124,835 kwh which translates to $3,925,214, over 25 years (life of the system)
• Target date for project completion is by November 2012
• 147 Parking Spaces will be covered by the Solar Array Structure
• 1,327 Panels Used – 265w polycrystalline panels

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