San Diego School Buildings Going Green With Photovoltaic Roofs

The San Diego Unified School District is saving some green by going green.

Identified as the largest photovoltaic initiative among school districts in the nation, the city's school district has, so far, installed solar roofs on 24 of its schools.

The project, which also calls for installing

The solar roofs are also expected to save the district more than $37 million in roof replacement, maintenance and electricity costs.

The school district first put out a request for proposal for the solar roofs during the energy crisis in 2003.

"We were looking for a reliable and dependable way to keep our schools open," said J. William Naish, the district's energy utility management section coordinator. "Energy rates were going crazy. We needed to know what our budget would be and to make sure we wouldn't have to send kids home early because of rolling blackouts."

Creative Financing

The solar roofs will not only keep students in the classroom, but they will also take some pressure off the district's already tight operating budget. Under a creative financing structure, the district did not have to pay upfront costs for the solar roofs.

The groundbreaking project, led by Los Angeles-based Solar Integrated Technologies Inc., arranges for the San Diego school district to pay a third-party financier a monthly bill based on a fixed rate during the next 20 years on the power produced by the solar roofs. In return, the financier, GE Energy Financial Services, receives 20 years' worth of revenues, plus tax incentives for financing a solar project. (So far, GE has financed about $30 million for the district's current solar roofs.)

Solar Integrated's affiliate company, Southern California Roofing Co. of Downey, maintains the roofs for 20 years at no additional cost.

"For an entity like the school district, this is an attractive way to move from an upfront cost to an operating budget," said Randall MacEwen, president and chief executive officer of Solar Integrated Technologies.

Such a project will also cut maintenance costs dramatically for the district.

"We have millions of dollars budgeted for replacing roofs but with the solar project we no longer have maintenance issues," Naish said. "We're essentially getting out of the roofing business. That really helps our cost flow and saves money on preventative maintenance programs so money can go to other things. We're: getting all of these roofs replaced for free under our solar contract and now we don't have to pay for upkeep."

The photovoltaics are expected to also cut down vandalism repairs because the glass panel roofs are made of a reflective material that prevents extensive vandalism.

The monthly energy bill for the district will fluctuate, depending upon how much energy the solar roofs produce (i.e., how long the roofs are exposed to sunlight) and costsaving strategies.

"For example, during spring break the schools were closed so we were putting electricity back into the grid, so we'll probably have a reduced bill for this month," Naish said.

Naish added that schools are the perfect candidates for photovoltaics because of the enormous amount of energy they produce.

"Schools are in neighborhoods so if you put solar roofs on schools you can spread that energy load to the neighborhood," he said. "When the schools are running and have a high load on the grid, that's when the photovoltaics work the best. What makes schools so unique is they are usually closed in the summer when the grid needs more relief. So during that time we can give back more power to the grid than normal.

"If we put photovoltaics on schools nationwide we would really benefit the whole nation in terms of reduction of energy use," Naish added.

Of course, the environment and the energy grid benefit from such massive solar projects, but the financial incentives are just as important. Like many school districts, the SDUSD has faced severe budget constraints during the last several years. Add a decline in enrollment and the pot gets even lower.

"The way districts are funded is we get a per-pupil allotment," said Dave Umstot, executive director of facilities for the district. "We have few dollars to operate all of our fixed overhead, which includes our facilities. From a financial perspective, we are looking at ways to operate as efficiently as possible and to deliver as much as we can with the resources that are available."

The SDUSD generates more than 31 megawatts of solar power with the photovoltaic systems already installed.

"Solar panels tend to generate most of their power when the sun is the hottest," Umstot said. "That allows us to produce power during the peak period of time when others are suffering brownouts or blackouts. That added value to us is significant."

The solar panels are part of the district's participation in the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, which follows certain criteria for energy efficiency and environmental designs. Under the program, the school district has reduced energy costs by 25 percent during the last 10 years with occupancy sensors, a global lighting control system, efficient lighting, cool curtains, dark campus policy and reengineered heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

Since 1994, the district's Energy/Utilities Management team has pursued other innovative projects to save energy, reduce utility costs and protect the environment. These initiatives, which have earned national accolades, have saved the district $90 million in utility bills over a span of a dozen years.