Shade and Savings With New Fullerton College Solar Parking Project
Fullerton College is breaking ground on a new solar parking structure set to save millions in electricity costs over the next 20 years.
Funded by a power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison (SCE), the new solar powered system is expected to produce approximately 150,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each month–which is enough to power approximately 500 homes for a month. SCE installs and owns the equipment, and Fullerton College will pay a fixed rate for the electricity generated. The college will see savings in as little as two to three years as SCE’s regular rates increase. At a minimum, the project will save $2.33 million in electricity costs over the next 20 years.
Students will also see a direct benefit on those hot summer days. The solar canopy will provide shade to more than 300 student parking spaces in student parking lot 5.
Construction will take place over the summer with minimal disruption. Work begins June 3 and will end just before fall classes start on Aug. 26.
There will be some construction detours to watch out for June 3-Aug. 26:
- Student parking lot 5 will be closed.
- Building 1800, which houses the Fullerton College Child Development Lab School, and its student drop-off area will be accessible only via the one-way drive lane through student parking lot 5.
- Some construction noise will be most evident during the week of June 10.
For additional information about the project, including power savings, contact Director of Sustainability, Tyler Deacy at tdeacy@fullcoll.edu.
