July 31, 2013 - On Wednesday, July 31, Yuba County and Chevron Energy Solutions will 'flip the switch' on the county government's first solar power installation.
The solar installation is expected to generate over 1 Megawatt of electricity at two sites and, together with a set of energy efficiency measures, reduce the county's annual energy purchases by 50 percent. The project's energy efficiency improvements include lighting at 10 county buildings and HVAC upgrades. Water retrofits are expected to reduce Yuba County's water use by close to 35 percent. Overall, the project is expected to save the county over half a million dollars in its first year and almost $16 million over its life.
Chevron Energy Solutions was selected by the county to design and build the project, and will maintain and guarantee its performance and production for 20 years.
"Yuba County was already dealing with the challenges of the economic downturn, when it became necessary to confront long overdue repairs to some of our public buildings," said Yuba County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andy Vasquez. "We were able to partner with Chevron Energy Solutions to install energy saving technology and leverage the future savings to immediately make much-needed repairs to our facilities."
"We have been proud to work with Yuba County on this project," said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions, "that has, in a fiscally responsible way, both upgraded aging facilities and saved significant financial resources for critical county services."