by Shane Henson — September 21, 2012—Chevron Energy Solutions, the energy services unit of global energy enterprise Chevron, recently completed a solar and energy efficiency program for the City of Concord that is expected to save taxpayers $18 million. The City of Concord, located about 30 miles east of San Francisco, is the largest city in California’s Contra Costa County. Chevron Energy Solutions develops cost-saving and sustainability programs and is one of the United States’ largest installers of solar power.
The centerpiece of the program is a 200 kW photovoltaic solar installation adjacent to the city’s community pool, where solar panels are expected to generate enough electricity to offset 70 percent of the pool’s energy demand and earn the city more than $450,000 in state and utility incentives. In all, the City of Concord’s program includes 14 projects that reduce energy and maintenance costs. Projects include upgrades to street and park lighting, retrofitting the boiler and pump at the community pool, and replacing outdated air conditioners at city facilities.
Chevron Energy Solutions worked with the city to design the program. The company also engineered and constructed the projects and has guaranteed the performance of the solar energy system.
This program is part of Concord’s larger focus on creating a more sustainable community, both environmentally and fiscally. The city’s attention now turns to implementing its reuse plan for the Concord Naval Weapons Station, a 5,000-acre area the city envisions as a future sustainable community featuring dense, transit-oriented development and housing and large swaths of park and open space.
