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at Contra Costa Campuses


Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), which was looking to


subsidize energy savings programs in order to avoid building new power plants, provided a commitment of $287,000 in rebates for the project.The district also took advantage of anoth- er PG&E program that provides funding incentives to organiza- tions that generate their own power primarily with solar photo- voltaic technologies. The district engaged Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to negotiate


with Chevron Energy Solutions, oversee design development, coordinate installation with each of the campuses and provide constructionmanagers to ensure the work was done correctly. “(The district’s) then-Vice Chancellor Jeff Kingston and I


put together an application to develop three 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic array systems across the three campuses,” said PB ProgramManager Bruce Rich. The result was a commitment of $8.5 million from PG&E for that project. Rich estimates that with the $35 million total cost, minus the $8.5 million utility grant, the payback for the solar element will be 15 years.


Putting Solar Above Fossil Fuel Burners The parking lot design turned out to be the most practical,


economic solution for the solar installation. “We considered put- ting the panels on top of existing buildings or undeveloped hill- side areas, but the parking lots provided a lot of space without taking up any additional real estate,” Rich explained.


According to Rich, the biggest challenge of the solar instal-


lation was coordinating construction to avoid disrupting campus life. “We started in the summer, took a break in lateAugust and Septemberwhen it’s very busy, and then closed small sections of the parking lots at a time,” he said. The solar panels provide up to 25%of campus power needs


– a savings of $70 million in electricity bills over 25 years and a reduction of 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. In addition, parking lots are shaded and lighted more efficiently than before. The CCCCD’s lighting and solar project was recog-


nized with awards at a University of California/California State University/California Community College Sustain- ability Conference. Said Kingston, the former district chancellor: “We were


very impressedwith PB’s ability to negotiate the complex agree- ment with the energy services provider; assist us with success- fully receiving millions in energy rebates; and efficiently man- age a design-build process, which allowed us to obtain a project that meet our budget and design requirements and minimized disruption to campus operations.”


Bruce Ross is a technical writer. He can be reached at bruceross@aol.com


PT OCTOBER 2010 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com 19


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