Jan 31 2011
San Clemente Villas, a retirement community in Orange County with Assisted living facilities, had developed a grand plan of going green and accumulating savings, and hence decided to install three solar electrical systems in the facility. One solar system was installed on a steep hillside, the second on a solar carport and the third on the rooftop.
Solar Electrical Systems (SES), a company based in Westlake Village in California, was selected for the projects mainly due to their lengthy PV experience and blemish-free reputation for installing the solar units while adhering to the San Clemente Building & Safety standards. Solar Electrical has now completed the 288 kW installations successfully. The biggest challenge faced by SES was installing the solar system on the hillside, primarily due to its steepness and also because of the absence of freeway access.
87% of the project was funded by tax incentives and rebates, and the project was expected to pay for itself in a period of four years and create savings of more than $16 million during the next thirty years. The hillside solar electrical system is a potent example of the benefits of solar energy and would be viewed by thousands of commuters plying on the freeway. This would be the largest PV system to date on an assisted living unit in the US.
SES, a highly experienced company in Southern California was formed in 1978 and has till now facilitated reduction or elimination of electric bills for many customers due to its solar installation capacity.