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By Sierra Countis
Santa Cruz Sentinel Correspondent
September 30, 2007
APTOS — A proposal to equip Cabrillo College with $8 million worth of solar panels — in what would be one of the county's largest solar projects — is looking brighter.
A three-way deal between the college, Santa Cruz-based Solar Technologies and San Francisco-based Generating Assets is in the works to meet up to 20 percent of the community college's power needs.
Under the proposed 15- to 20-year agreement, Solar Technologies would install and maintain the panels, Generating Assets would provide the bulk of the financing, and the college would pay Generating Assets for the power generated. Exact terms are still being worked out, but according to Mary Planding, Cabrillo College director of marketing and communication, the college would pay rates at or below those of PG&E.
"Solar is important because we need to have increasing renewable sources of energy in the world," said Roger Denault, Solar Technologies president and founder.
But the eco-friendly plan doesn't come cheap and couldn't be financed by the college alone. A $2.2 million state grant through the Self Generation Incentive Program provides a good start, said Doug Deaver, Cabrillo College director of facilities planning and purchasing. Partnering with the private companies closes the financial gap.
The installation of the panels will account for 15 to 20 percent of the energy used on campus, Deaver said. The size of the project is determined by grant specifications, he said.
Students are in support of the solar project, said Ryan Kaplan, Cabrillo College student senate legislative representative. "It would be the largest project in the county," Kaplan said. "It would be a shining example of what the possibilities are."
If approved, the solar panels would also be incorporated as an educational component on campus, Kaplan said. A group of students initiated their own solar panel project back in the '70s at UC Davis and they still function today, Kaplan said.
However, some students have voiced concerns related to the location of the proposed solar panels, as the majority of the 6,600 panels will be placed in a 3-acre parcel below the horticultural center on campus. A natural corridor for several species of wildlife may be interrupted by the addition of the solar panels, Kaplan said.
A handful of native oak trees will be cut down to make room for the panels, Deaver said. Erosion and drainage issues are still being mitigated, he said.
The agreement will be discussed at the college board of directors meeting Monday. A final agreement must be made by December for the project to move forward, Deaver said. According to grant stipulations, the project must be completed by October 2008.
If you go:
WHAT: Cabrillo College Governing Board meeting.
WHEN: 5 p.m. Monday.
WHERE: Cabrillo College Horticulture Center, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos.
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