Bakersfield College set to install solar panels

Bakersfield College set to install solar panels


Bakersfield College plans to cover its northeast parking lot with solar panels. The project will supply about a third of the campus' energy needs, and power generated when school is not in session will be sold back to the power grid.

The school says the $8.3 million project will generate an estimated 2.1 million kilowatt hours annually, and factoring in energy savings, rebates and tax breaks, will be budget neutral.

"There are a lot of incentives right now to do these kinds of projects, so we wanted to act quickly before they went away," said college spokeswoman Amber Chiang.

That also was part of the motivation behind a similar, earlier announced project planned for Cal State Bakersfield.

Bakersfield College's contractor, SunPower Corp. of San Jose, plans to break ground in June, after the Amgen bike race. The system could go live as early as this fall.

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x46733645/Bakersfield-College-set-to-install-solar-panels