Sebastopol's Analy High School solar system goes online

November 2005

Analy High School's 28.3 kW solar system

Sebastopol, Calif. - Utility inspectors recently flipped the switch to bring Analy High School's new solar electric system online. The 28.3-kilowatt system makes a significant contribution to Solar Sebastopol, the community solar program with the goal of installing 1 megawatt (1,000 kilowatts) of solar power within city limits, as the first Sebastopol school to go solar.

Cooperative Community Energy's Pete Blair and Brent Eubanks managed the overall solar project, including the system design, rebate processing, Pacific Gas & Electric utility interconnection, and Division of State Architect permit requirements. Local solar installer Jason Jackson of Solaris Solar, Lighting, & Electric, Inc. completed the system installation in late August 2005.

Special technical considerations for schools

One hundred seventy-eight Kyocera KC187 solar modules adorn the saw tooth roofline of Analy High School's wood shop building, mounted at an angle that allows for maximum solar absorption. The system's six SunnyBoy SB6000 inverters -- devices that convert DC power from the solar array to AC power -- are connected to a special meter that displays the system's power output located inside the woodshop building.

Initially, Blair and Eubanks designed a larger solar system to be mounted on the roof of the school's auditorium or cafeteria, but those buildings' roofs did not satisfy the Division of State Architect requirements. "The DSA has fairly restrictive rules about how much additional weight can be added to the roof of an existing school building," Blair explains. "We switched to the woodshop based on engineering analysis that indicated the roof could accommodate the weight of the solar system within DSA rules. It had the added benefit of providing conveniently tilted roof surfaces for mounting the panels."

CCEnergy's Pete Blair with Analy Principal Marty Webb

The cost of Analy High School's solar system including equipment and installation totaled $235,114, covered by a combination of state solar rebates, a community construction bond, and other matching funds. Analy High School was one of only six California schools that qualified to receive a one time Solar Schools grant in 2004 through the state Attorney General's Alternative Energy Retrofit Account, which doubled the California Energy Commission's Emerging Renewables rebate rate then of $3.20/watt to $6.40/watt. Analy High School was the last of only six solar school projects to receive AGEARA funding that year. Funding for that program is no longer available. Analy High School's total rebate will be $179,200.

The West County Union High School District board requested bids for a solar system in early 2004 at the recommendation of former superintendent Dave Wheeler, who first proposed solar energy as a cost-saving measure for the school. Analy High School's solar system is expected to produce 55,500 kilowatt-hours annually, saving the school about $16,000 annually in electricity costs.

Analy High School Principal Marty Webb also sees multiple benefits from solar energy. "First, it saves the high school district money that it would have spend for energy. Second, we want to set a good example for students and the rest of the city of Sebstopol and outlying areas by using natural, clean energy from the sun to power the school. And third, Analy wants to be a good citizen and take electricity off the grid by producing our own power," Webb says, noting that the school's solar system will continue producing electricity during the summer break.

As part of the project, Pete Blair along with high school teacher Dave Casey will present special classroom curriculum about Analy's solar energy system. The meter will enable students to monitor and log the solar system's output. The school hopes to add a larger digital display eventually that will enable public viewing of the system's production.

More school solar systems to come

And although Analy may be the first school in Sebastopol to go solar, most likely it will not be the only one. School officials are studying the solar options for El Molino High School in Forestville, part of the same district as Analy High School.

"There is interest in our school district to take advantage of whatever incentives we can find to install additional PV projects. As energy prices go up, it just makes sense for schools to take advantage of this," says Keller McDonald, superintendent of West County Union High School District. "It would be super if we could generate that kind of savings from another project in the district. Our theory is that energy costs are going to skyrocket. The more it costs, the more we save with solar, assuming we control our energy use at the same time."

"Analy High School's solar system is a great addition to the Solar Sebastopol goal," says Marty Roberts, Solar Sebastopol co-founder and coordinator. "Adding solar energy to a high school has excellent educational value as well as making contributions to energy savings and the environment. We hope this will inspire more local schools to go solar."

Solar Sebastopol began in 2003, a first-of-its-kind program to encourage more solar energy on residential, business, and public properties in Sebastopol. The program's original goal to install 1 megawatt of solar power production by year-end 2005 was recently extended to 2006. As of July 15, 2005, Sebastopol has added 260 kW of solar power within city limits, or just over 25% of the 1-megawatt goal.

"This is another example of how feasible a commercial scale system can be for property owners whether for public or private buildings," notes Sebastopol City Manager Dave Brennan. "We hope that other non- residential building owners look closely at the immediate and long term advantages to installing solar power."

More photos of Analy High School's solar system »
More about Solar Sebastopol »
More about financial incentives and resources for solar »