Solar Dedication Event held on March 1 for the Main Library, Police Station and Civic Center Parking Carport Structure

The solar dedication and ribbon-cutting event for the new solar installations serving the city of Beverly Hills was held on March 1 at Room 280A of the City Hall at 455 Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills.

Multiple public buildings in the City of Beverly Hills Civic Center Complex will soon be generating clean power via a solar system thanks to the expertise of installer Sun Light & Power. Particulate attention was given to analyzing the city's budget, energy loads and the newest programs offered by Southern California Edison in order to create the most savings from the available space. The approximately 450 kW DC system design that was chosen is comprised of over 1,600 Suntech modules and will be mounted on three separate structures: the main library, police station and the Civic Center parking carport structure. The installation sites include retrofits for the library and police station arrays and a new steel structure for the Civic Center parking garage.

Beverly Hills chooses solar modules that will be recycled

Working with Sun Light & Power, the City of Beverly Hills chose Suntech modules for these buildings for good, green reasons. Suntech recently opened a manufacturing facility in Arizona,

which provides for American jobs and significantly reduces the module transportation footprint.

Unlike some solar modules, Suntech modules are made without Cadmium. Perhaps even more significantly, Suntech is making a focused effort to insure that their modules do not become a toxic or hazardous waste burden at the end of their 25 + years productive life cycle. Unlike some solar modules, Suntech modules do not contain any Cadmium. Rather than disposal into our overburdened landfills, Suntech has developed a Recycling Program with a 100% take back policy. At the end of the system's useful life Suntech will take back the modules at any of their U.S. warehouses.

Offsetting 453 metric tons of CO2 while reducing the Civic Center's operating costs

The system is expected to produce approximately 630,272 kWh of electricity every year. That is electricity the City will not have to buy, so those other funds can be used for other civic projects. In addition it will offset approximately 453 metric tons of CO₂ equal to the emissions of 87 cars or the electricity for 40 average homes.

Once completed this system will significantly reduce the City's Civic Center's operating costs and will be a visible example of civic fiscal and environmental responsibility. A Data Acquisition System will track and report production. A monitor will be mounted in the library or in city hall to show what the system is producing at the moment, daily, weekly, yearly, and over its lifetime. The monitor will become a valuable educational tool for interested citizens.

About Sun Light & Power

Sun Light & Power is a design/build solar firm based in Berkeley, CA with 34 years of leadership in alternative energy systems and innovative designs for homes and businesses. The company is committed to creating living environments that serve people's intrinsic needs, supporting the human spirit and preserving the planet's resources for future generations.

Founded in 1976 by Gary Gerber (who is also the 2008-2011 President of the California Solar Energy Industries Association - CALSEIA), Sun Light & Power is the first renewable energy contractor to be certified by the Alameda County Green Business Program, and among the first in the nation to qualify as a B Corporation.

The company's professional staff includes specialists in engineering, system installation, project management, electrical system design, financing and contract administration, including: 5 Professional Engineers, 7 LEED AP Green Building professionals, 3 Electrical Contractors  (C-10) and 7 NABCEP Certified Professionals. Sun Light & Power is licensed as both a General Contractor (B) and Solar Contractor (C-46).

More information is available at: www.sunlightandpower.com