The projects, once installed, are expected to save the City of Brea and two school districts more than USD$40 million over their lifetimes and reduce carbon emissions by more than 88,000 metric tons.
Under the plans, the City of Brea will see 1.8 MW of solar panels installed at the Community Center, Civic and Cultural Center and Reservoir City Pump Yard.
Chevron has designed the solar systems and will build, install, operate, maintain, measure and guarantee the systems' performance for the city.
The company has also designed and will implement a citywide street lighting upgrade, and interior and exterior lighting retrofits and improvements to heating, ventilating, air conditioning and energy management controls.
The solar and energy efficiency improvements should generate savings to pay for the infrastructure costs and are expected to reduce the city's energy use by more than 40 percent. The project is scheduled to be completed next year.
The Huntington Beach City School District, on the other hand, will see a 615-kilowatt solar system installed at an elementary school district in Orange County: it is expected to meet more than 30 percent of the district's demand for electricity and is also scheduled for completion next year.
As with the City of Brea, Chevron will additionally implement lighting system upgrades and upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The energy efficiency improvements are expected to reduce the district's annual energy consumption by nearly 30 percent.
Meanwhile, the Santa Ana Unified School District has recently seen what has been described as the largest solar project in Orange County, completed. Chevron again designed, engineered and constructed the solar and energy efficiency improvements including a 809-kilowatt solar photovoltaic electrical generation system, which is expected to produce up to 75 percent of Saddleback High School's annual electrical needs, and a solar thermal system that is expected to offset up to 75 percent of the annual pool heating cost.
The project also includes energy efficiency upgrades to the ventilating and air conditioning system, high efficiency induction light fixtures, LED lighting and a new roofing system with a reflecting "cool roof" membrane.
"We are pleased that our collaboration with the City of Brea and two school districts in Orange County are delivering energy savings and reducing carbon emissions through energy efficiency improvements and the use of renewable power," said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions. "It is great to see government and education institutions in Orange County take a leadership role in demonstrating the region's environmental and fiscal leadership."
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