The Los Gatos Union School District has completed the installation of solar panels at five schools to reduce costs and promote sustainability.
"In addition to providing our schools and grid with clean, renewable electricity, our new solar system will help offset the rising cost of electricity," said Ryan Fenchel, chairman of the district's building committee.
Daves Avenue, Louise Van Meter, Blossom Hill, Lexington Elementary and Fisher Middle Schools have installed panels in recent months. The district celebrated Thursday evening with a ribbon cutting at Fisher High School.
The panel is part of the district's goal to become more sustainable and save money. Over the 20-year lifespan of the panels, the district will save $4.95 million in electricity costs.
The district partnered with ForeFront Power to bring the panel to the school and signed a 20-year contract as part of the Renewable Energy Purchase Program.
"Another important outcome of this important project is the opportunity to teach our children about the photovoltaic process of converting sunlight into useful electricity," Fenchel said. "4th graders at Blossom Hill Elementary School are learning about this process while enjoying the shade of the solar panels they are working on."
The district's solar panels will produce nearly 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity per year, enough to power 250 homes and keep 1,300 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere. The district's transition to clean energy is to take 275 gas-powered vehicles off the road each year.
California has set climate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and to obtain 100% of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2045.
The work of the neighborhood does not end there. In the coming years, the school will upgrade facilities to make playgrounds and HVAC systems more durable.
