Four nonprofit organizations in the City of Santa Clara will enjoy savings from new solar installations funded by Santa Clara's Neighborhood Solar Program. The estimated 125,000-kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity generated annually will save the recipients a total of approximately $12,000 a year in electricity bill expenses.
HOPE Services, St. Justin's Parish, Our Lady of Peace Church and the Muslim Community Association (MCA) received the systems at no charge to them. Silicon Valley Power (SVP), along with customers participating in the voluntary Neighborhood Solar Program, determine which local community-oriented nonprofit facilities would most benefit from solar installations.
"Santa Clara residents and businesses should be proud of their commitment to helping local nonprofit organizations that serve our community," said John Roukema, Director of SVP. "It's a winning combination to provide financial relief to community-based nonprofits through the partnership program and multiply the benefits by utilizing solar energy."
HOPE Services has two "co-op" homes in Santa Clara where residents with developmental disabilities live and fully participate in the community. A 5-kilowatt (kW) system was installed by Solar City on one of the co-op homes used to provide support and affordable housing to adults with disabilities.
"By lowering electric utility costs, the Neighborhood Solar Program provides enhanced affordability for people with developmental disabilities," said Rosemary Frazier, Facilities Manager of HOPE Services. "We sincerely thank SVP and its customers for making this project possible."
St. Justin's Parish is an elementary school and church that provides help to those in need. Solar panels generating 23 kW were installed by Vista Solar, which also set up a 27 kW system at Our Lady of Peace Church.
A 25 kW solar structure is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014 at the MCA in Santa Clara. MCA promotes unity and cooperation among Muslims and works to promote better relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in the community.
In addition to the significant yearly savings on the cost of power, the solar installations prevent about 32 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.
Previous beneficiaries of the SVP Neighborhood Solar Program include the Bill Wilson Center, Valley Village Retirement Center and Haman Elementary School.
About Silicon Valley Power
Silicon Valley Power is the trademark adopted for use by the not-for-profit electric municipal utility of Santa Clara, CA serving residents and businesses for over 100 years. SVP provides power to more than 50,000 customers, including Applied Materials, Intel, Owens Corning, Yahoo! and NVIDIA at rates 15 to 45 percent below neighboring communities.
