Students in the Mojave Desert, located 110 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, are learning with the help of a little green power – solar power. The Muroc Unified School District is the home of three solar installations, totaling 1,700 Coenergy solar modules. One solar system is located on the grounds of the school district office, another at West Boron Elementary school and the third at the Boron Senior High school. Combined, the solar systems will generate nearly 400 kilowatts, enough to meet 80 percent of the district’s energy needs. This should reduce the district’s utility bill by 95 percent.

“The three Conergy installations produce a total of around 705 megawatt-hours of clean solar energy per year; avoiding the emission of more than 500,000 lbs of harmful CO2 greenhouse gases,” said Byron Johnson, Muroc Unified School District Assistant-Superintendent. “This is as much electricity as one hundred Californian households consume annually. By creating our own energy, students and staff become more aware of their energy use and are inspired to use energy wisely. This helps us to encourage ‘green learning’, by producing clean energy and using less energy whenever possible.”

Over the life of the solar system, which is expected to be at least 30 years, total energy savings should be nearly $3 million. The school district was able to complete the project with no out of pocket or up front expenses; rather, the project costs were financed by Enfinity through a Power Purchase Agreement.

“We are glad to have the opportunity to install solar power on Muroc’s school grounds,” said David Vincent, Project Development Manager for Coenergy. “Being exposed to solar energy, the students get a feel for the effectiveness and accessibility of sustainable energy while increasing their environmental awareness. In sunny California in general, and Muroc in particular, the clean energy future is becoming a reality.”