Installed in the summer of 2023, the City of Auburn, with the assistance of the Sustainability Advisory Committee, installed a large roof-top solar array at the Public Work's corporation yard. The yard is where the City of Auburn stores construction and facility maintenance equipment. The array consists of one hundred ninety-two 480W panels and has 4 inverter units. The installation cost $192,000, and 30% was reimbursed by the Inflation Reduction Act. After one year, this array produced 76,131 kWh. How much power is that, you may wonder? It is the equivalent of 6,722 gallons of gas saved and 3,712 electric vehicle charges. By going solar, 46 tons of CO2 were diverted from emission into the atmosphere.
The Sustainability Advisory Committee set out with a goal to reduce the city's carbon footprint in a cost-efficient manner. When a committee member noticed an opportunity to capture grandfathered rates for solar generation from PG&E—before a planned rate increase early in 2023—the committee got to work on a proposal for City Council. In addition to the corporation yard, the committee identified the Auburn Police station, City Hall, and three fire stations as potential sites for solar projects. To capture PG&E’s grandfathered rates, the contractor was required to submit applications for interconnectivity, which include plans for future solar projects that must be built within three years of submittal. As of June 2023, the city had approved solar improvements for the Corporation Yard, with improvements to the other five sites requiring additional funds and more council input.
Kommentare