Going Grid-Positive

OROVILLE, Calif. — Butte Community College is hoping to be grid-positive by next spring after investing upwards of $34 million into solar energy projects over the previous seven years, adding about 25,000 panels to the campus.

As early as next May, Butte College will begin generating an estimated 120 percent of its energy needs with a 4.55-megawatt solar system capable of powering some 9,200 average-sized homes. The community college is in the midst of installing the third and final phase of a massive solar project that was started over a half-decade ago.
 

Michael Miller, director of facilities, planning and management at the college, says the project is strongly supported by the school’s board of trustees and superintendent as a measure to drive down costs and create a financially stable college district.
 

“The goal of this solar system and other projects is to make the district at least cost-neutral, so when we do other energy conservation projects, like lighting or HVAC upgrades, the utility savings actually pay for those projects,” says Miller. “We are pushing for ownership of the solar system through direct purchase agreements, and we will actually become cost-positive over time.”
 

Beginning in 2011, Butte College hopes to achieve $150 million in net energy cost savings over a 30-year period, based on an estimated 10 percent annual rise in utility costs. With all three phases installed, Miller estimates savings of between $250,000 and $300,000 per year right off the bat. Currently, the school with a roster of of 21,000 students uses about 6.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and has an annual gas and electricity bill of $1.3 million.
 

“Utility rates have historically gone up, on average, four percent per year in California over the last 20-plus years,” Miller says, “And they are projected to rise between seven and 10 percent per year over the next 20 years. Once we complete Phase Three, basically what we pay next year for solar is what we’re going to pay until we pay off the system in 17 years.
 

“Once all the systems are paid for, we’ll be saving that $1 million-plus a year and we’ll be able to do other things with it,” he adds.

The surplus energy the district generates will be sold back to the local grid, operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Miller says he expects the school will see compensation of approximately $100,000 per year for electricity sold to PG&E. Those funds will likely be used to pay off the cost of the solar system, or for other operations and repairs, or new construction.
 

Phase Three of the project involves building 22 different solar arrays, which will be added atop covered parking areas and walkways, bus stops and other covered gathering places. Many of the projects will be designed to provide shade, a necessity in the valley’s warm summer climate, says Miller. Phases One and Two were largely planted in-ground arrays to the north and south of the campus center.
 

Chico Electric of Chico, Calif., and DPR Construction of Redwood City, teamed up to create Chico Electric DPR Energy JV, a joint venture that will install the arrays. The first component of Phase Three adds 1,639 solar panels to covered parking areas at the Butte College Chico Center, a satellite campus located in Chico. The remainder will be installed at the main campus in Oroville. The college is installing Mitsubishi Electric 185-watt panels at all locations.
 

Administrators at the college agreed to a 25-year maintenance and operations agreement with the JV. Miller says the college will hire a few staff, mainly to operate the school’s 24/7 solar photovoltaic panel monitoring system.
 

Diana Van Der Ploeg, president at Butte, says sustainability is at the heart of everything the college does.
 

“I credit the college’s transformation to a national leader in sustainability to student engagement both at the college and in the community, as well as an infusion of sustainability into the curriculum, workforce development focused on green jobs, LEED certified buildings, and sustainable land use management,” Van Der Ploeg says.
 

The college is currently wrapping up a $160 million expansion effort that doubledits building square footage, and added a LEED Gold-certified arts center and a student and administrative services building that is expected to receive LEED Gold.
 

The college, which is situated on a 928-acre wildlife refuge, has reduced its carbon footprint more than 53 percent since 2006, Miller says, all while operating the largest transportation system of any community college in the state. Butte recycles 75 percent of its waste and has a goal of diverting 100 percent of its waste stream from landfills. Other green features include parking stations with electric chargers, priority parking for carpoolers/fuel-efficient vehicle drivers, and use of treated wastewater in local habitats.
 

The community college has a history of teaching environmentally focused curriculum, including a solar training class that began in 2007 and a four-week course that was recently held at the college to teach displaced workers green building skills. The college’s Auto Technology department recently partnered with PG&E to develop a statewide electric hybrid vehicle technology-training program for the utility company’s fleet vehicle mechanics.