By Maddie Coate
Staff Writer
With the opportunity to implement new energy-saving measures at Costa, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District is considering a proposal from Chevron that includes the installation of solar panels that will be further discussed at the April 10 Board of Trustees meeting.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Rick Bagley has been working closely with Chevron Energy Solutions Engineer Ashue Jain on the program. In order to finance the panels, Costa would need to accept a loan arranged by Chevron of approximately $6 million.
“Chevron guarantees that the lease-payments will be paid out of the savings,” Jain said. “The district should save around $6.3 million in energy costs over the project’s life and the panels should last around 30 years.”
Board members have yet to approve a second four-month study to determine the design, energy conservation, and final cost of the solar panel project.
“I think it’s a good investment, but we have to make sure,” Board member Bill Fournell said. “It is a 30-year time frame before the money that would be gained would pay back the loan.”
In 2012, Jain completed a 2 month study of the carport system on Artesia Boulevard and found that the carports are well-suited for the Costa parking lot. In the carport system, solar panels are attached to bent poles that extend over automobiles so that the panels can intake sunlight without using up parking spaces.
Another possible location for the proposed solar panels is on the roof of the new science and math building currently being built.
“The new building was constructed with the idea that solar panels would be placed on top of it,” Bagley said. “There are still brackets to hold panels on the roof, but we had to cut the panels when we learned the cost.”
If the panels are approved, they could lower a large portion of the school’s energy costs. One way would be by decreasing electricity consumption when heating the Costa pool.
“Solar panels on the roof can pump the water through tubes from the pool into the panels to be heated,” Bagley said.
If the district accepts the proposition, Chevron’s overall influence in the district will increase. In the past, Chevron has given donations that fund science teachers, as well as other programs.
“Chevron is proactive about reaching out to the community,” Fournell said. “I think they have been a positive partner.”
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