Novato and Sonoma-based SolarCraft has completed the construction of a 44.7 kW solar electric system at Liberty School in the rolling hills of West Petaluma, Calif. The installation of the solar photovoltaic array will reduce the school’s carbon footprint and save thousands of dollars in energy costs for years to come. The system spans over 2,600 square feet on multiple building rooftops, which were specifically designed by local architect Dan Hardin to accommodate solar.
Enphase Energy, a Petaluma-based worldwide leader in microinverter technology, donated microinverters to the project. Enphase microinverters will optimize system performance by working individually with the system’s 149 LG solar panels to ensure maximum energy production. Additionally, the project managed to secure one of the last California Solar Initiative rebates available before the program expired. The school will receive approximately $24,000 in rebates for energy produced by the project.
The solar electric system will provide about 70 percent of the school’s annual electrical needs, powering the classrooms and administrative offices.
The system’s solar electric panels are expected to generate approximately 66,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy annually. The new solar energy system allows Liberty School to generate enough electricity each day to power over 20 average homes. The amount of carbon offset by the PV array is equivalent to removing 29 tons of harmful greenhouse gases annually. Over the next 30 years, the air pollution saved will be equivalent to eliminating nearly than 1.7 million miles of driving or the amount roughly 9 acres of trees could remove.
— Solar Builder magazine
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