The New future of Dabney

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Solar array powers Butte College Gymnasium
Photos by Christopher D. Madden for Butte-Glenn Community College District


Butte College aims to be carbon neutral by 2015, and the campus is already well on its way to achieving that goal. It has launched its second-phase solar project of adding four solar arrays that will bring the school to just about 50 percent solar electricity for the main campus. Three of the arrays are complete, already making Butte the largest solar campus in the state. The fourth array will be completed by the end of April.

The district expects to save $32.6 million in energy costs over the next 20 years, since it will pay a fixed energy-use fee and not be subjected to energy price increases. "We're thinking conservatively that energy costs will go up anywhere from eight to ten percent a year," says Mike Miller, director of Facilities Planning and Management for the Butte-Glenn Community College District. "Just since last October we've taken almost a 20 percent increase on our local utility rates."

The completed arrays include 2,400, 185-watt Mitsubishi Electric solar modules mounted on a hillside. The three new arrays total 450 kilowatts in three separate areas of the campus and will produce an estimated 675,000 kilowatt hours of solar electricity and will power 10 campus buildings. Phase one of the project included the installation of 5,700 solar panels on a four-acre field.

Combined, the solar projects' projected energy generation is 2.7 million kilowatt hours each year. Putting it into context, this is enough to power 391 homes and to prevent 1,478 tons of carbon dioxide and tons of other greenhouse emissions from getting into the atmosphere.

Financing for the project was is done through an arrangement with Bank of America. "We should have this paid off in 20 years," says Miller, "on what's called a tax exempt lease purchase, or TELP. We used some bond money as a down payment, and basically our payments are flat over 20 years. At the end of 20 years, the arrays are completely paid for. It's a very good deal for the campus."

The solar projects will not only save the college money and considerably reduce its carbon footprint, they will also serve as teaching tools for students. Chico Electric, the solar installation vendor designed and donated a portion of the solar array to serve as a training lab for students and faculty. At the site, students will install solar panels a into an array, as they would on an actual job site. In addition, Butte College will have an interactive educational kiosk on campus where students will see real-time performance data on the solar system. Butte has just launched a certificate program in sustainability studies, green building courses and green workshops offered on weekends.

Butte College offers a sustainability conference every August focused on green schools, green economy and green energy.










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