Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology
Environmental Savings Statement - Solar Energy
Ohlone College to install largest solar panel array in Silicon Valley!
Ohlone College will install the largest solar power collection system in the Silicon Valley, a 449kWp* solar collection system using the most efficient solar panel arrays available on the market today, the SunPower 220 modules from PowerLight. The flat panel system covers 38,000 square feet of the roof on the two story “all-green” facility being constructed on the satellite campus site in Newark, CA.
Ohlone’s plans for construction and for building operation will qualify the building for a LEED gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for high-performance sustainable buildings, for strategies such as sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. The building design will preserve environmental resources and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in operational costs.
(| Revised System Config | * | |
|---|---|---|
| System Peak/DC Rating | 569 | kWp |
| System Output Rating (used for SGIP) | 491 | kWso |
| Maximum Reduction in Facility Demand | 454 | kWac |
| Approximate Square Footage of Arrays | 38,000 | ft2 |
| Projected Annual Output (TMY) | 686,833 | kWh |
Revised PowerLight System using the maximum roof space and more efficient modules results in a 569-kWp system size.* kWp: Kilowatt-peak, a measure of the peak output of a photovoltaic system. The maximum possible output of a solar generator operating under standard conditions is defined as its peak output, measured in kilowatts and stated as kWp.
kWso: Still don’t know what this means.
kWac: A rating of the AC electricity generating capacity of a system. An inverter is needed to change the direct current (DC) power from the solar panels into alternating current (AC) electricity to power your electrical devices and to be compatible with the electric grid.
kWh: Abbreviation for kilowatt-hour. 1 kWh = 1000 watts over a period of one hour. It is equivalent to the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 100 litres of water by 10 °C.
See also U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's Statement on Ohlone College's Photovoltaic Panels, July 27, 2006 (JPG) (text transcript).
