April 25, 2008

Los Angeles, CA, USA: Kyocera Solar and East Los Angeles College ''Flip the Switch'' on Solar Electric System

Kyocera Solar, Inc. and East Los Angeles College (ELAC) this week celebrated the inauguration of a 1.2 megawatt (MW) solar electric generating system at ELAC’s Monterey Park campus.

As part of the Renewable Energy Plan of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), the project represents a major achievement toward the goal of making all nine LACCD colleges more energy independent. Officials "flipped the switch” on the new solar installation during today’s Earth Day celebration.

The complete solar electric generating system, designed and built by Chevron Energy Solutions, consists of approximately 6,000 Kyocera KC200 solar panels. It was made possible through a power purchase agreement with MMA Renewable Ventures, a comprehensive power solutions provider that owns, maintains and operates the system. ELAC simply agrees to purchase electricity at agreed-upon rates for the term of the power purchase agreement.

"The event we celebrated today demonstrates the viability of solar energy and the practicality of the industry’s latest solar-energy financing tool,” said Tom Dyer, vice president of marketing and government affairs at Kyocera Solar, Inc. "Power purchase agreements like the one ELAC has chosen promise to make solar electricity an indispensable contributor to California’s energy mix.”

Further details: Kyocera Solar