Email  Print

Solar online in April

The long-awaited end to the solar energy project at the Sonoma Valley Unified School District could be in sight.

The $9 million-plus project that started last summer, could be finished sometime in March and online in April.

Justin Frese, the district’s deputy director, said the district anticipates finishing the last of the shade structures in the next two weeks at Altimira Middle School, Sassarini Elementary School and Dunbar Elementary School, with all of the panels installed by mid-March.

“We anticipate all solar systems will be up and running by late April,” he said. “Certain systems will come on sooner, such as the district office and Sonoma Charter School. These two sites will be the first to be interconnected with PG&E and we anticipate this being done within a few weeks.”

He said the schedule is tentative and dependent on the weather.

The project, which cost the district $9.8 million from the $40-million Measure H bond that passed in November 2010, is expected to save the district at least $500,000 to $600,000 a year in power costs. Additionally, for the first five years, the district will be getting rebates of about $500,000 a year from PG&E.

But the district originally anticipated the project would be completed in August. There were problems, such as waiting to receive approval for the carport units and the shade structures from the Office of the State Architect.

Carports were erected at Sonoma Valley High, Adele Harrison Middle School, Flowery Elementary School, the Sonoma Charter School and Sassarini Elementary School.

Shade units were constructed at Prestwood Elementary School, Sassarini Elementary School, El Verano Elementary School, Dunbar Elementary School and Altimira Middle School.

And ground units were installed at the district office on Railroad Avenue, the bus barn on Railroad Avenue and at Adele Harrison Middle School.

But the district thus far hasn’t gotten any of the PG&E rebates nor has it realized any energy savings, since the project still isn’t online. Frese said the rebates and energy savings wouldn’t start until the system was connected to the power grid. And the contractor is paying penalties.

“The contractor is currently paying damages on a daily basis for their delay in completing the project,” he said. “Once the project is complete, we will be working with Roebbelen on several contractual issues, one of which is a loss of income.”

When finished, there will be 7,140 solar panels spread out around the district and it will make the district one of the first school districts in the state its size or larger – if not the first – to go completely solar.