Baker Electric Solar Adds Education Workshops to Father Joe’s Solar Project
Escondido, CA (PRWEB) August 09, 2011
Baker Electric Solar, a full-service solar integrator specializing in green technology design / build, engineering, financial analysis and installation, is pleased to describe how a renewable energy educational component was included during its Father Joe’s Villages® Village Place solar project.
The San Diego-based Father Joe’s Village Place $ 408,000 solar project is a 53.42 kilowatt (kW) high efficiency SunPower solar panel system with annual production estimated at more than 70,000 kW hours. The installation consists of 168 roof-mounted, SunPower solar panels with six SMA Sunny Boy inverters. The 22,000 square foot Village Place multifamily complex provides 49 units of permanent housing for low-income and formerly homeless members of the community, along with an administrative and shared community space. In addition to the benefits of saving money with the new solar system, Village Place residents participated in a number of complimentary Baker Electric Solar on-site clean energy workshops.
Over the course of the installation, Mark Johnson, director of sales and marketing for Baker Electric Solar, met with tenants as well as residents of three other Father Joe’s permanent housing programs. Johnson covered strategies on how to save money on energy bills; how to maximize the benefits of solar; and what future jobs will be available within the solar industry. The attendees received firsthand knowledge about sustainable energy. Using handouts, posters and actual solar panel equipment, Johnson was able to use the construction process to educate Father Joe’s residents on the benefits of going green. In addition,Baker Electric Solar installed a monitoring system display in the tenant-shared community room showing actual energy production of the rooftop installation.
The project was 100 percent funded by the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) program and administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE). As part of the California Solar Initiative (CSI), MASH funding provides solar rebates to offset the installation costs on qualifying affordable housing community projects, while increasing awareness of the benefits of renewable energy to residents through educational workshops.
One hundred percent of the operating cost savings realized through the MASH Track 2 funded SunPower system, go directly toward reducing the Village Place tenants’ energy bills through virtual net metering. SunPower solar panels generate up to 50 percent more power than conventional solar panels, and estimates indicate the installation will reduce the annual energy costs 50 to 75 percent, for an average annual savings of $ 194 per unit.
A “Father Joe’s Villages Goes Green” celebration marked the completion of the multipronged solar energy campaign benefiting Father Joe’s Villages’ permanent housing programs. The ceremony and press conference was held on July 22 at a San Diego East Village neighborhood playground.
“As a local provider of electrical services in San Diego County since 1938, our team at both Baker Electric Inc. and Baker Electric Solar were excited about working side-by-side with Father Joe, St. Vincent de Paul Village’s facilities’ administration, CCSE / MASH and SDG&E to bring green power to Village Place. Including the solar energy workshops and the real-time energy production monitoring display was a win for all. It’s great to know we played a role in helping Father Joe’s Villages add ‘going green’ to their 60 plus year history,” said Brian Miliate, Baker Electric Solar General Manager.
For more information on Baker Electric Solar, call (877) 543-8765 or visit http://www.bakerelectricsolar.com.
About Baker Electric Solar
Escondido-based NB Baker Electric, Inc. launched dba Baker Electric Solar in 2007. Baker Electric Solar designs, builds and installs photovoltaic solar power systems for new and existing homes and commercial facilities across Southern California. Baker Electric Solar is a SunPower Premier Dealer.
About Father Joe’s Villages®
Father Joe’s Villages is Southern California’s largest residential homeless services provider, offering interim, transitional, and permanent housing in San Diego for nearly 1,500 men, women, and children each night. The agency provides 299 units of affordable housing with an additional 65 units slated to open at the end of the year.
About California Center for Sustainable Energy
The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals, businesses, municipalities and others to adopt greener practices and save energy and money through rebates, technical assistance and education. Among the programs CCSE administers for the California Public Utilities Commission are the California Solar Initiative (CSI), including the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing Program (MASH) and the CSI‐Thermal Program in the San Diego Gas & Electric service territory.
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