Electrical contractor Del Monte Electric has completed the installation of solar power systems in 51 schools at Mount Diablo Unified School District, in California.
The installed PV across the school district has a combined capacity of 12 MW, and it is estimated that the project will generate enough electricity to reduce the district’s annual electric costs by $3 million.
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Del Monte Electric undertook the design, development and the electrical instillation at the school sites from the AC tie in at the utility point of connection, through the underground electrical distribution.
The company installed over 28,000 PV panels on carports and rooftops throughout the campuses and over 150 miles of wire.
The construction period lasted 15 months divided into four phases that took place while the school was operating.
John Hunter, Del Monte Electric’s President said: “The capabilities of our team were continually challenged during this project as we had to meet critical schedule deadlines, budgetary constraints and our solar expertise had to be top-notch.
“This was a very complex project and we had to manage a huge crew of sub-contractors to work under aggressive schedules to minimise impact to the school district. We were able to stay on schedule and within budget during this 15 month project and are tremendously pleased with our staff and partners on this monumental accomplishment.”
The $56 million project received financial support by the voter-approved Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS). The amount of money can cover the 90% of the utility cost needed for the district.
The Environmental Protection Agency is estimated that the project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and will prevent the production of nearly 400,000 tons of emissions over the next 30 years.
