Atascadero News September 19, 2008
AUSD to consider Carrisa Plains Elementary for solar pilot project
By Nancy Forrest
The Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees is considering a proposed pilot project for solar energy at the district’s easternmost campus, Carrisa Plains Elementary School.
Although a consensus of board members appeared to support the proposal during Tuesday’s board meeting, the matter will be placed on an unspecified future agenda of the school board and a formal vote will be taken at that time.
Kathryn Arbeit, business development director for Hayward-based OptiSolar, said if approved by the school board, the solar project would enable the school district to defray its energy costs at the site and serve as a prototype for what schools will become when fully equipped with state-of-the-art solar technology.
Arbeit said OptiSolar would shoulder the cost of installing photovoltaic solar panels at the south end of the school property and would donate all energy output generated from the solar panels to the AUSD through an agreement with PG&E, which currently provides electricity for the Carrisa Highway campus.
“OptiSolar has proposed to donate the output of an OptiSolar photovoltaic system to power Carrisa Plains Elementary School, offsetting utility costs to the Atascadero school district and teaching students about solar energy firsthand,” she said.
Arbeit said she envisions substantial educational and mentoring opportunities at the campus, among students attending classes at the elementary school as well as other students from throughout the district who would benefit from the campus as a field trip destination.
Arbeit, who previously worked in the wind energy industry, said job opportunities within the alternative energy industry are growing rapidly and job growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
“Our goal is provide, clean, affordable, renewable energy from the sun, a renewable resource,” she said. “There are no fuel costs, no air emissions or water pollution to generate electricity and the demand for water resources are limited to panel cleaning. There are no moving parts or fluids, no toxic materials and we are working with proven technology. We are asking that you allow us to use the space for the footprint of the solar project and you take the electricity it generates. I think we will able to vastly reduce your energy bills.”
OptiSolar business development director James Cook said the company would work closely with AUSD staff to ensure that the solar energy system at Carrisa Plains is designed properly. Key aspects of the project, he said, will be the sizing of the solar energy system to substantially offset utility bills, designing a project that will not disrupt educational activities and the potential for reducing energy bills that for the last two years, totaled more than $10,000 each year.
If approved by the school board, OptiSolar would need to secure the required authorizations from the Department of State Architects, PG&E and San Luis Obispo County. Installation of the system would be targeted for 2009.
If approved, the PV site would measure 220 by 60 feet in dimension and three feet in height and would be separated by a chain link fence from the rest of the school property.
“Siting considerations were carefully evaluated and solar PV arrays are set far from school activities and are located on a little used part of the school property,” Cook said. “Among the considerations would be to provide separate access off of Highway 58 so that construction and maintenance personnel are physically separated from school activities. OptiSolar would be using as little space as possible but get the best use of the panels.”
Arbeit and Cook also attended AUSD’s first Solar Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday, along with AUSD Superintendent John Rogers, Assistant Superintendent Kathy Hannemann, Atascadero High School vice principal Kimberly McGrath and several science teachers and local energy-related business owners. The committee discussed the formulation of curriculum related to the environment, energy and vocational education.
Alan Bernheimer, OptiSolar corporate communications vice president, said the company hopes to establish a partnership with AUSD to bring solar technology to the elementary school, as well as future educational and mentoring opportunities for students throughout the district. He said the company hopes to enter into a legal agreement with the district that will allow the Carrisa Plains solar project proposal to move forward.
If approved by the school board, Bernheimer said OptiSolar is prepared to begin moving ahead with the project.
“We expect the permitting process to take several months,” he said. “Actual construction could take another month to complete.”
Trustee George Galvan expressed support for the proposed project as a way to defray the district’s future energy costs and to encourage students to explore the myriad of jobs and future careers opening up in the energy industry.
“I’m excited about what this could do for our students,” he said.
AUSD board president Terri Switzer requested and received assurances from Arbeit and Cook that the proposed project would use no water resources and have no towers or unsightly structures.
In addition to its Carrisa Plains proposal, OptiSolar is currently seeking approval from SLO County for the company’s proposed Topaz Solar Farm project, north of Highway 58 in Carrizo Plains. The company announced plans for the proposed 550-megawatt project in eastern SLO County last April and held a three-day solar panel demonstration and community open house at the proposed location.
The company made a presentation to the AUSD school board regarding its Topaz project in May.
“OptiSolar has been working with local educators to incorporate information about solar electricity into environmental, energy and vocation education programs,” Arbeit said. “We need to prepare students for careers in the growing solar industry in California in the areas of manufacturing, construction of solar farms and project operations and maintenance.”
Arbeit, who serves as director of the Topaz project, said the company submitted its permit application to SLO County for the Topaz solar energy facility in July. If approved by the county, the Topaz project would generate the same amount of energy as a big, fossil fuel-powered plant but without the big plant, she said.
PG&E announced a 550-megawatt power purchase agreement with Topaz Solar Farm in August 2008. Construction of the project will begin following receipt of a conditional use permit from SLO County, Arbeit said.
OptiSolar’s corporate office and manufacturing facility is located in Hayward. The company is also converting a portion of the 3,778-acre former McClellan Air Force Base, located five miles north of Sacramento, into a second manufacturing facility for the company’s solar panels. The base, which closed in July 2001, now houses a number of growing technology-related businesses, the Web site, www.globalsecurity.org, said.
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