Campus Green Builder

Cost Outline

Cost per sq.ft.: $97.20
Total project cost: $10,000,000
Building construction cost: $2,000,000
Site development cost: $1,500,000
Furniture & equipment cost: $1,000,000
Fees and other: $1,000,000¹

The clean, renewable energy produced by the East Los Angeles College's solar farm generates 1.9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, saving the College an estimated $270,000 annually. The project is the largest solar facility within the district and marks a major milestone in the LACCD's ambitious plan to declare its energy independence. When completed, the District's project will comprise one of the largest urban solar generation facilities in the United States.²

A Request for Proposal (RFP) was drafted by the ELAC “Energy Team” and submitted to various contractors. After reviewing the responses, the institution contracted with Chevron Energy Solutions, which designed and oversaw the construction, and selected the sub-contractors that performed the on-site work. Chevron will own and operate the system for at least 6 years. There is a maintenance contract with Chevron that guarantees certain amount of minimum production. Solar energy goes into inverters first and then goes into a high voltage distribution system of the campus. Energy is consumed throughout the campus during peak hours following the demand pattern. A copy of the reviewed proposal can be seen here.

The project was financed upfront with an investment of $2.8 million distributed over the first five years of the project. Investment tax credit accounted for 30% of cost. After the 6 years the campus will use the bond to purchase the agreements. MMA Renewable Ventures is the partner that finances, owns and operates this facility. MMA delivers power to LACCD under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) at prices below the LACCD’s previous utility rates and is able to maximize the financial benefits associated with solar facilities, including federal tax incentives that are usually unavailable to tax-exempt institutions like the East Los Angeles College. MMA Renewable Energy Ventures covered $2.8 million of the total of $9 million project cost with financial incentives from Southern California Edison’s “Self Generation Incentive Program.” This Program offers customers installing up to 1 MW of solar panels a financial incentive, which can be used to offset the cost of the system.³ The Power Purchase Agreement with MMA Renewable Ventures (PPA) and an Energy Conservation Agreement may be bought by LACCD using a bond issue that will save $9 million/year as mentioned in the California Colleges Grid Neutral document.

The institution’s PV Farm will also act as a living model for students, allowing them to study the panels and electrical equipment to learn more about their design, construction, chemistry and physics. This will prepare them for the "green collar" jobs of the 21st Century Los Angeles economy.⁴

¹ Education Design Showcase. "East Los Angeles College - 1 Megawatt Photovoltaic Power Facility." Retrived October 27, 2009.
² The Master Planner - LACCD. "A Year in Review." Retrieved October 19, 2009.
³ Second Nature. "Draft of the Renewable Energy Document." Retrieved August 29, 2009.
⁴ Los Angeles Community College District. "East Los Angeles College Solar Farm project profile." and "East Los Angeles College First To Generate Its Own Electricity Through New $9 Million Solar Energy Project." Retrieved August 24, 2009.