Foothill-De Anza Community College District officials threw the switch on the new solar panels atop the Stelling parking structure July 20. Chevron Energy Solutions was the general contractor for the $5.1 million project, which included other improvements to energy efficiency on both campuses. The total cost was offset by $2 million in state rebates. The 201-kilowatt solar electric shade system on the De Anza garage follows the sun’s path across the sky; the 100-kilowatt solar electric shade system on the Foothill campus is stationary. Officials say the new systems reduce the district’s electrical costs by 46 percent, for a savings of as much as $800,000 a year. The non-polluting new solar electric generation systems on both campuses also avoid the unwanted byproduct of other forms of electricity generation, in the district’s case, 14 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year – as much as 2,000 acres of trees can absorb.
