The school board of the Lucia Mar Unified School District in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., awarded Chevron Energy Solutions a contract to design and develop a program, which will include solar energy systems, energy efficiency measures and improved lighting components. The program is estimated to save the district over $40 million, or about $20 million after paying all program costs over the 30-year project life. The project will include 1.7 MW of solar generation capacity at seven district sites, upgraded HVAC systems, irrigation controls and energy-saving LED lighting. In total, the project is expected to reduce the district’s utility-purchased electricity costs by about 75 percent. Construction work on the project will commence in January 2014.
In similar news, Fountain Valley School District in Orange County, Calif., and Chevron Energy Solutions are constructing an expansive solar and energy efficiency program, financed entirely by savings, that is expected to reduce the district’s electric utility purchases, generate over 1 MW of electricity, reduce purchases from the electric utility by over 70 percent and save the district almost $14 million over its life. The project is expected to be completed in May 2014. Fountain Valley will also become the first school district in Orange County to engage Chevron Energy Solutions Envision program to improve the district’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Chevron will provide over 100 hours of teacher professional development and training, living labs that connect data from solar installations and building operations to a student-facing dashboard, and hands-on classroom science kits that help students learn about energy efficiency, solar energy and the science of energy.