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SunPower builds 1-megawatt installation for California's Yol

mercurynews.com -- San Jose solar power system manufacturer SunPower has finished construction of a 1-megawatt solar installation at the Yolo County Justice Campus in Woodland.

Yolo County financed the $7.5 million solar power system with bonds subsidized with federal stimulus money and a 15-year $2.5 million loan from the California Energy Commission, according to a news release Tuesday and an e-mail from Ray Groom, director of the county's general services department.

With the state and federal support, "Yolo County has no out-of-pocket expenses to build this project, and will be net cash flow positive from the first day of the system's operation"..

The SunPower solar panels track the sun...generating more electricity than fixed panels.

..save money, create jobs and produce clean energy for ye

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Submitted Jul 29, 2010 By: teafortwo

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ashishpa All-Star Author St. Louis Posts:951 Points:217,540 Joined:Feb 2010	Message Posted: Jul 30, 2010 6:54:15 AM Ignore ashishpa Report Abuse This is great....
jackson661 Champion Author Columbus Posts:2,783 Points:1,047,190 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:42:58 PM Ignore jackson661 Report Abuse Moving sun panels what a great idea.
jBeta Champion Author Columbus Posts:2,502 Points:514,445 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:34:48 PM Ignore jBeta Report Abuse another broken link. sounds good though.
Bleeder Champion Author Virginia Posts:6,138 Points:1,269,705 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:25:25 PM Ignore Bleeder Report Abuse Seems like it cost the taxpayers a lot of money and them absolutely nothing.
rimpyCA Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,550 Points:664,150 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:22:44 PM Ignore rimpyCA Report Abuse thats cool
mstearno Champion Author Dayton Posts:5,867 Points:1,286,185 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:18:56 PM Ignore mstearno Report Abuse lets get working on those batteries
JuliusRex Champion Author Orlando Posts:1,689 Points:308,610 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:18:32 PM Ignore JuliusRex Report Abuse Great, another govt. funded boondoggle. I wonder how much local electricity 7.5 million buys. Easy to be cash flow positive when you are wasting other people's money...
Quick68 Champion Author Columbus Posts:4,837 Points:758,900 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:18:18 PM Ignore Quick68 Report Abuse Yolo County didn't finance nothing. The taxpayers did.
bobdec Champion Author Florida Posts:6,716 Points:1,324,615 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:15:30 PM Ignore bobdec Report Abuse We could usemore solar powered plants
speedys Champion Author Utah Posts:4,666 Points:2,092,395 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:11:54 PM Ignore speedys Report Abuse Old news.
IamWhoIam Champion Author San Francisco Posts:13,960 Points:1,459,700 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:06:50 PM Ignore IamWhoIam Report Abuse well Z51corvette, you don't live in California either and we are pinning a lot of hope on this. Go stick your head in an oil well.
sluggopyle Champion Author North Carolina Posts:21,328 Points:1,032,535 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 8:04:39 PM Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse Here's the working link, although it doesn't say much more than the snippet above.
Z51Corvette Champion Author Austin Posts:6,156 Points:1,225,140 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 8:03:23 PM Ignore Z51Corvette Report Abuse Let's see if their optimism produces as expected. I hope, but won't hold my breath.
NotmeuQc Champion Author Montreal Posts:3,310 Points:668,945 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 8:03:17 PM Ignore NotmeuQc Report Abuse Interesting installation. It should be happening in more places, so we would be less dependant on the oil that keeps getting spilt
YLHandyman Champion Author Orange County Posts:5,008 Points:930,140 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 8:01:25 PM Ignore YLHandyman Report Abuse With state and federal support they will be cash flow positive.
djtdi Champion Author San Jose Posts:2,829 Points:523,805 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:58:45 PM Ignore djtdi Report Abuse Good for Yolo folks. Lets see how it goes!
TBONE3 Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:6,388 Points:1,510,745 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:58:29 PM Ignore TBONE3 Report Abuse Now this is great information. People and companies doing something positive. Good fortune Yolo County!
fuelconscious Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:2,082 Points:538,870 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:54:54 PM Ignore fuelconscious Report Abuse Hey its a great step forward
VTROCK Champion Author Detroit Posts:2,582 Points:644,455 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:54:01 PM Ignore VTROCK Report Abuse Let's build these alternative energy installations without Federal tax dollars subsidizing them.
Ltdc Champion Author Long Island Posts:4,908 Points:1,223,540 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:47:45 PM Ignore Ltdc Report Abuse Didn't I just hear that the governor declared a cash emergency in California. What are they doing making these loans?
granitestater Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:6,309 Points:1,017,395 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:41:58 PM Ignore granitestater Report Abuse Yolo county has no out-of-pocket expense?! When do we get paid back?!
mvosevich Champion Author St. Louis Posts:5,453 Points:1,108,165 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:40:59 PM Ignore mvosevich Report Abuse Hope this goes nationwide.
DosEquis26 Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,758 Points:1,542,440 Joined:Jun 2006	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:38:11 PM Ignore DosEquis26 Report Abuse some of my best friends are solar panels.
vulcan96 Champion Author Ohio Posts:21,169 Points:2,639,595 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:36:43 PM Ignore vulcan96 Report Abuse would have liked to have read about it, but the link is broken
DJRIO Champion Author Miami Posts:5,478 Points:960,340 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:28:19 PM Ignore DJRIO Report Abuse junk bonds for solar generator.
six_ball_man Champion Author Rochester Posts:6,197 Points:953,865 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:27:10 PM Ignore six_ball_man Report Abuse Bonds and loans are repaid, boys and girls. Subsidies to big oil is not.
LoneGuy Champion Author Lansing Posts:6,148 Points:1,856,780 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:24:37 PM Ignore LoneGuy Report Abuse I have some solar stock. I hope I do better than I did with Photocom about 20 years ago. The Bush beer brothers from Colorado bought the company and that is the last I heard of it.
Blue_Cruzer Champion Author Lexington Posts:5,152 Points:1,202,725 Joined:Mar 2007	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:23:58 PM Ignore Blue_Cruzer Report Abuse Sounds like a good deal for Yolo County.
Bigwaynef Champion Author South Carolina Posts:7,657 Points:1,613,960 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:19:22 PM Ignore Bigwaynef Report Abuse Yeah, but how many jobs would there be for all sites...
WhiteTreeIndian Champion Author New Jersey Posts:3,378 Points:667,470 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:17:13 PM Ignore WhiteTreeIndian Report Abuse Might as well, wondering what the payback is.
TheSicilian Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:3,026 Points:1,003,300 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:16:57 PM Ignore TheSicilian Report Abuse now this has possibilities
tedjm1 Champion Author New York Posts:3,540 Points:389,685 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:16:53 PM Ignore tedjm1 Report Abuse Good for the, but they still have a $2.5 milliom loan.
jay4 Champion Author Colorado Springs Posts:5,792 Points:1,326,080 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:15:52 PM Ignore jay4 Report Abuse Where some myopically see debt, I see investment, benefits and savings.
Bonito Champion Author Dayton Posts:13,046 Points:2,546,425 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:15:27 PM Ignore Bonito Report Abuse GREAT! Let get them on every roof.
CobraLeader Champion Author New Jersey Posts:267,902 Points:1,200,750 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:15:13 PM Ignore CobraLeader Report Abuse ... If they don't have any debt service, explain the $2,500,000 LOAN. ... [Edited by: CobraLeader at 7/30/2010 12:16:03 AM EST]
joel27nc Champion Author Raleigh Posts:8,157 Points:1,392,445 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:09:43 PM Ignore joel27nc Report Abuse No wonder the current government is in such debt!
Gary65 Champion Author Toronto Posts:1,501 Points:511,655 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:08:16 PM Ignore Gary65 Report Abuse Solar is definately the way to go.
Bus561 Champion Author Lexington Posts:14,076 Points:2,753,105 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 7:02:54 PM Ignore Bus561 Report Abuse This should have been done years prior.
GasitupJB Champion Author Columbia Posts:3,771 Points:572,255 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 6:58:52 PM Ignore GasitupJB Report Abuse This seems like a step in the direction for solar
DustyHorse Champion Author Virginia Posts:4,016 Points:978,340 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 6:58:46 PM Ignore DustyHorse Report Abuse I hope it does prove to be economically viable.
N5EXY Champion Author Austin Posts:3,195 Points:1,046,230 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 6:55:08 PM Ignore N5EXY Report Abuse YeahBut - what is gummit doing to reduce carbon emissions in the war on terror? Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Az) took Afghan Commander, General David Petraeus, to task for what she characterized as “willful disregard of the environmental impact of our war effort.” “There is no policy, no plan to minimize carbon emissions in our military activities,” Giffords charged. “Bombs are dropped and bullets are fired without considering the environmental impact.” Giffords insisted that she was “not demanding an immediate halt to current military operations in the Middle East. I’m just saying that battle plans should include an environmental impact assessment as a regular part of the process before attacks are launched.” She also suggested that the Army “put more emphasis on less environmentally damaging methods, like stabbing or clubbing enemy forces in order to minimize the carbon output.” 96 days until the November congressional elections. [Edited by: N5EXY at 7/29/2010 11:56:04 PM EST]
mstearno Champion Author Dayton Posts:5,867 Points:1,286,185 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 6:43:28 PM Ignore mstearno Report Abuse I wish we'd be moving faster in this direction
Lizzylou Champion Author Stockton Posts:7,025 Points:2,000,050 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 6:42:23 PM Ignore Lizzylou Report Abuse Great news for Yolo County!
debbiedl All-Star Author Akron Posts:783 Points:652,610 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 5:35:18 PM Ignore debbiedl Report Abuse I'd rather see the subsidies going on inthe states than to foreign governments.
Gnusman53 Champion Author San Diego Posts:3,849 Points:654,415 Joined:Feb 2004	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 11:38:00 AM Ignore Gnusman53 Report Abuse If subsidy driven economics doesn't work......there would have never been a single nuclear power plant built.........And isn't subsidy-driven economics the lynchpin to the GOP economic plan, subsidize big business with taxpayer money they'll never have to pay back?????????? Those who decried the solar possibilities of NorCal are just blind or ignorant.... a good 90 percent of NorCal could easily use solar power generation for electricity....... That includes the valley corridor and the 395 route on the eastern side of the Sierras.....up to Alturas..... Even Yreka, Weed, Happy Valley, Weaverville, Hayfork, Clear Lake, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Cloverdale, Ukiah and many more places could easily use solar.... .... and the other 10 percent could use some solar generation to meet the local needs...... [Edited by: Gnusman53 at 7/29/2010 4:45:48 PM EST]
SVmike Champion Author California Posts:1,426 Points:307,850 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 11:23:58 AM Ignore SVmike Report Abuse RoadKing: "The use of stimulus money is just a guarantee the money will be repaid." No, I don't think so. The "stimulus" money is like gifts for some percentage of public projects. The remainder is being paid for with bonds. "In California we have provisions where if you have an energy generating facility, and you're generating more than you're using, your meter runs backward." Technically, no. You have two meters one for usage and one for generation. But ignoring that the law only allows for private generators to get credits up to some small limit, far below the 1 Megawatt installed. So unless they changed this recently the limit was something like 25 or 50 kilowatts.
SVmike Champion Author California Posts:1,426 Points:307,850 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 11:19:19 AM Ignore SVmike Report Abuse Ken20D wrote: "Is the current electrical infrastructure designed to handle this extra power capacity? I think NOT! "The keywords here are "I think Not." IOW Ken does not think. One megawatt is a tiny blimp on the electrical grid. The typical large power plant is 500 - 1000 megawatts.
OHMS Champion Author Orange County Posts:10,797 Points:1,250,520 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 11:05:56 AM Ignore OHMS Report Abuse Yep; sudsidize solar power with no FEMA backup plan when the Sun goes out
rocky23hy Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:2,469 Points:1,660,940 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:58:01 AM Ignore rocky23hy Report Abuse Solar needs to compete on its own. Subsidy driven economics never works.
RoadKing95 Champion Author San Jose Posts:17,822 Points:3,137,315 Joined:May 2003	Message Posted: Jul 29, 2010 9:55:03 AM Ignore RoadKing95 Report Abuse I just don't get all the negativity toward this. The keyword is bonds. Anbody understand bonds? That's where governments get people to invest for a promised future return. The use of stimulus money is just a guarantee the money will be repaid. The stimulus is monies already set aside to stimulate the economy. The installation is on a local government building that uses electricity, funded by the taxpayers. So in the long run the taxpayers win. In California we have provisions where if you have an energy generating facility, and you're generating more than you're using, your meter runs backward. They credit you for the energy, and when you aren't you're credited toward what you have to buy. There's no need for more grid infrastructure, it uses the cabling already there. And then we've got 1988MR2guy that says that in northern California the sun goes away from halloween til spring. I live in NorCal, and the sun shines yearround. Yolo Cnty is in Norcal. I can only surmise that 1988MR2guy doesn't see the sun because his head is placed somewhere the sun don't shine.