Nov 23, 2020 - CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is set to begin installing a solar array that will provide approximately 68% of the University’s electrical energy needs on an annual basis.
“CSUCI has been working diligently toward having a solar array that will provide clean, renewable energy for the campus and greatly reduce costs for electricity,” said Tom Hunt, CSUCI’s Interim Assistant Vice President for Facilities Services.
The University has entered into a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement with REC Solar. In the agreement, REC Solar will pay all installation and upfront costs and the rate CSUCI will pay in return for the electricity produced is lower than what the University currently pays Southern California Edison (SCE).
This will result in immediate first-year savings and a projected $8 million in cumulative savings to the campus over 30 years.
The solar array will produce 3.63 megawatts of AC power in the peak of the day, more electricity than the campus consumes. CSUCI will receive credit for the excess power fed back to SCE.
“The installation of the solar array is one of several steps the campus has taken that exemplifies our deep commitment to sustainability,” said CSUCI President Erika D. Beck, Ph.D. “The array will make CSUCI one of the largest producers of green energy in the California State University system and will result in significant cost savings for our campus.”
Location
The array will be installed in a field at the front of the campus off Lewis Road. Installation will begin in early December and be completed by the end of summer 2021.