Constructed in five months, the system features a 3.1-acre parking lot canopy structure with nearly 3,700 SunPower solar panels that track the sun throughout the day, providing shade in the lot and solar electric power for the campus.
"It makes sense to use the clean, renewable resource of the sun to power our schools sustainably," said Dr. Greg A. Chamberlain, president of Bakersfield College. "The high-efficiency technology installed on our site is maximizing the amount of sunlight that is converted to electricity for our operations and the cost savings that we will achieve as a result. SunPower's experience working with educational facilities across the state gave us confidence that they would understand and meet our special requirements."
According to conversion formulas provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the solar system at Bakersfield College will displace more than 2.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year. This is equivalent to the emissions displaced from removing more than 5,900 cars from California's roads over the 30-year life of the system.
SunPower has more than 650 large solar power systems in operation or under contract globally. The company has built solar power systems for California community colleges including Mendocino College, Napa Valley College, Ohlone College, the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, and the Los Angeles Community College District.
