Learn in this case study from SunPower about municipal solar and energy efficiency investments made by the City of Oakland:
Oakland recognizes the need to implement sustainable strategies that ensure both the long-term economic health and the environmental quality of its community. By leveraging one of California’s most abundant resources, sunshine, Oakland made the decision to deploy solar power and energy efficiency at city-owned properties to lower operating costs and promote sustainable practices. The 1,132 kilowatt Oakland solar project is the cornerstone of Mayor Brown’s vision of deploying solar power. The City installed a 372 kW system atop the Oakland Ice Center. The system generates 31% of the electricity used at the facility, which makes ice and operates two skating rinks in the heart of downtown Oakland. A 760 kW system atop the Municipal Service Center in the Coliseum Business Park generates 82% of the four buildings’ energy load. Covering 85,000 square feet, Oakland’s solar arrays will generate enough energy during the daytime to power over 1,00o homes.
The energy efficiency measures included a lighting upgrade that improved light levels and quality while consuming less than half the energy of the previous fixtures, resulting in lighting energy cost savings of 55%. (Read more from SunPower’s case study here.)
You can learn more about these projects and more on the City of Oakland’s website. For more on municipal activities, click here.