JAIL PARKING LOT DOUBLES AS CLEAN POWER STATION

Massive 1-Megawatt Solar Energy System Now Generating Savings and Sustainable Energy

             In a ceremony Monday, County Supervisor Greg Cox switched on a 1-megawatt solar power system at the East Mesa Detention Complex in Otay Mesa.  

            The biggest photovoltaic system on County property, the East Mesa array is expected to save the County $1.4 million in power costs over 20 years.

            “This used to be a bare parking lot; now it’s generating energy whenever the sun’s out,” Supervisor Greg Cox said. “It’s a smart and painless way for the County to save taxpayer money while tapping into a sustainable, clean power source.”

            The photovoltaic system is mounted on dozens of steel canopies that spread across the parking lot and shade visitors’ cars. The solar panels will produce an estimated 1.6 million kilowatt hours of energy in the first year, or about 14 percent of the detention complex’s total power needs.

The Otay Mesa detention complex includes the George Bailey Detention Center and the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Center.

            “Jails are 24-7 operations, and by their very nature they need a lot of energy,” Sheriff Bill Gore said. “Under AB 109, we’ll be housing more felons locally and facing increased jail costs, so we’re glad for the new power savings.”

            The clean energy the system will generate represents about 1,184 tons of greenhouse gases that would otherwise enter the atmosphere each year. That’s equivalent to not driving about 2.7 million miles each year or planting over 30,000 trees.

            As part of a 20-year contract, SunEdison paid for and oversaw the solar energy system’s construction and will own, operate and maintain it. In a power purchase agreement, the County will buy the system’s energy at below-market rate for use at the jail.

           The East Mesa solar system is the second large photovoltaic system completed on County property this year. In February, officials turned on a 359 kilowatt SDG&E-owned solar system at the County Operations Center in Kearny Mesa.

            The County owns nine other photovoltaic systems that combine to provide about 607,500 kilowatt-hours of energy to diverse facilities such as the North County Regional Center, the Fallbrook Community Center and the Ramona Library

###