Mar 18 2010
A joint announcement was made by Bank of America, Yolo County, and SunPower that a 1-MW solar power system will be designed and constructed by SunPower for Yolo County. The proposed solar energy system will be installed at the Justice Center of Yolo County in Woodland, California. The system will be owned by the county and it is arranging financing for the purchase through multiple funding sources including qualified energy conservation bonds and renewable clean energy bonds available through the federal stimulus bill. All the renewable energy credits for the system will be owned by the Yolo County.
California Energy Commission has also provided a 15-year loan to the county, which was assisted by SunPower. This is in addition to Bank of America financed subsidized bonds. General Services Director of Yolo County, Ray Groom, said with the funding secured for the solar system, the county will bear no expenses to construct the project and the system yield positive cash flow from its first day of operation. The system is scheduled to be operational during later part of this year. Over the next 25 years, the system is expected to save approximately $8.8 million, providing benefit to businesses and residents in Yolo County. Funding from state and federal governments has enabled the county to own solar system that is affordable. The system will help the county to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, Groom stated.
The project is anticipated to be completed by September 2010, and will comprise SunPower solar panels, considered to be the most efficient in the solar market. The system will also comprise SunPower Tracker system, which will track the movement of the sun during the day, thus helping the system to capture more sunlight by up to 25% when compared to conventional fixed-tilt systems.
The solar power system in the Yolo County is anticipated to avoid over 2.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emission every year, which is equivalent to removing 5,700 cars from roads in California over a 30-year period.
Source: www.sunpowercorp.com