Guests at Los Angeles Mission College’s Newly Dedicated Solar Farm Dedication Get “Blown Away” By the New 17,000 sq. ft. Facility

Officials estimate that the new facility will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 150-200 homes

On May 21, Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) officials braved strong winds atop of Mission College’s new multi-million dollar Parking Structure, as they joined College officials and VIPs in celebrating the official “flipping of the switch” of the campus’ new $1.9 million, 17,000 sq. ft. Photovoltaic (PV) farm. The project will produce an estimated 233,000 kilowatt hours on a yearly basis, which translates to eight percent of the College’s total annual energy usage.

“There are many physical changes taking place on campus and today we are here to celebrate the latest milestone – the completion of the Solar Farm,” said Judith Valles, president of Los Angeles Mission College. “Soon our students will benefit from additional classroom space as well as a new fitness center, media arts facility, family and consumer studies building, and a child development center.”

”This is the first step toward meeting our overall goal of generating 100 percent of the College’s electricity needs through a renewable energy source,” said Marshall E. Drummond, chancellor of the LACCD. “For me, that is one of the most exciting things.”

District officials and guests coped with wind gusts atop the parking structure as they commemorated the event by releasing butterflies into the spring air.

The solar farm is equipped with 1,128 PV modules, which are set to produce an estimated 178 kilowatts during peak day time sunshine periods. Officials estimate that the project will save the college approximately $80,000 per year in energy costs. The solar farm is part of the college’s $176 million renovation and modernization project and is part of the overall $2.2 billion in bond funding that the District’s bond construction program received thanks to the generosity of Los Angeles voters in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

The program’s goals is to modernize and renovate all nine community colleges in order to better serve and train tomorrow’s workforce in the jobs and careers our economic region needs. For more information on this and other projects visit our website www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org