Harness the Sun, Educators Say

If all goes as planned, come October, Murrieta schools will be ready to harness the sun’s energy.

At least that’s the timeline Clyde Murley laid out during his presentation at Thursday evening’s Murrieta Valley Unified School District Board meeting.

Murley, the district’s energy consultant overseeing the solar energy project, told the board that in order to secure state incentives totaling about $2 million, the school district must have the contract signed by October 31, 2011.

In order to meet that deadline, Murley said he hopes to have everything ready for the board’s approval at it’s October 13, 2011 meeting.

The board unanimously approved the allocation of $13 million to fund “green energy” projects, during its .  A total of $11 million was set aside to fund the installation of solar panels at several campuses throughout the school district. The district also plans to use the remaining $2 million to purchase a fleet of compressed natural gas buses and a filling station.

The funds are part of the $56 million in bond certificates the district borrowed when state monies were frozen during the construction of Murrieta Mesa High School.

Beginning Monday, district officials will interview four vendors who submitted competitive bids for the project. Murley explained that the initial question was: would the district benefit more from rooftop or carport solar panels.

“Our current view is that we will have a preponderance of carport systems,” Murley said.

To illustrate the point, Murley showcased a sampling of carport solar panel photos in his PowerPoint presentation. In the photos, a slew of solar-panel-sheathed carports -- some flat, some slanted – sheltered parking lots.

“It’s a nice way of making double-use of space that’ s being unused – the space above the cars,” he said.

Trustee Kenneth Dickson pointed out that those spots under the solar panels are bound to become quite coveted spaces. Dickson even ventured to say maybe the district should “auction” them off.

Murley agreed with his sentiment.

“They’re (district officials and staffers) excited about solar but they’re more excited about shade,” he said.

The solar project could potentially reduce the district’s electricity use by more than 15% and save more than $800,000 in the first year, according to Murley.

District Superintendent Stan Scheer said he was worried about the aesthetics of the solar panels, in particular how neighbors living near the sites would react to the construction of the sun-soaking panels.

Murley explained that he had run into resistance before, from individuals who weren’t pleased with the look of the solar panels. But in the end, he said, after explaining how solar energy will help the schools and the community, the opponents ended up supporting the project.

But if they don’t change their minds, Scheer has a solution.

“We could threaten them with wind power,” he said with a laugh.