by Shane Henson — December 3, 2012—The Energy Alternatives Division of Cupertino Electric Inc. (CEI), a California-based company providing engineering and construction services, announced that it has fulfilled its contract to complete a ground-mount and parking lot canopy-based solar photovoltaic system for the Golden Valley Unified School District in Madera, California.
The district decided to undertake the construction of the solar system in an effort to significantly reduce its electricity costs—a move school district officials say they are glad they made.
Per the contract, CEI installed nearly 4,000 solar panels on Golden Valley Unified School District property to produce a combined capacity of nearly 1.2 megawatts. A majority of the solar panels are mounted on unused district property, while the remaining panels are mounted on school-based canopies that provide shade for students and faculty. The CEI-built solar system is expected to produce 1.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year to offset more than 80 percent of the district’s annual electricity costs, the company says.
