Irvine district delays decision on more solar panels

From The Orange County Register: The Irvine (Calif.) Unified School District school board has postponed a vote on whether to install solar-paneled parking canopies at 11 campuses, saying the district had not adequately communicated with surrounding neighborhoods. Solar power is used at 15 district sites – 13 schools have rooftop panels and two district buildings have solar-panel parking canopies. A majority of the board seemed reluctant to approve the new project without support from each of the surrounding communities. The board directed district staff to return to the board with a plan to more thoroughly give nearby residents notice about the project and get their feedback.

Earlier...from The Orange County Register: After saving $220,000 in electricity costs in its first year using mostly rooftop solar panels at 15 sites, the Irvine (Calif.) Unified School District is considering plans to install solar-paneled parking canopies at another 11 campuses. The parking canopies are expected to save the district $380,000 in energy costs in the first year, public records show. Altogether, the solar panels from both projects are expected to save the district $5 million to $11 million in the next two decades.