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Victor Maccharoli- UCSB unveiled the 816 solar panels atop the rec center Friday morning.

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UCSB unveils solar project

By COLBY FRAZIER

The rooftop real estate at UC Santa Barbara’s recreation center is now home to a fleet of gleaming solar panels, which have turned the building into a lean, green machine.

UCSB Vice Chancellor Michael Young said the recreation center, built three years ago without many of the efficient amenities it sports today, now carries a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)  Silver certification, making it the only building of its kind in the country.

The $1.5 million solar project will reportedly generate 600,000-kilowatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power 600 homes.

It will also trim an estimated $100,000 from the center’s annual $400,000 electricity bill.

But beyond the economics and statistics is the will of the student body, which Young said was the driving force behind the project.

“It so clearly demonstrates our student’s vision for the future,” he said. “Once again our students give me hope for the future of our planet and our country.”

The bulk of the project’s cost, about $872,000, came from student fees that are allocated to the Recreation Center Governance Board. According to Gary Jurich, assistant director of the recreation center, the board is made up primarily of students who voted to approve the project.

He said the Student Fee Advisory Committee donated $100,000 and the Office of Student Affairs contributed $150,000. The remaining balance was paid for by $332,500 in rebates from Southern California Edison, Jurich said.

With abundant sunshine and ample rooftop space, UCSB could be a goldmine for renewable energy production.

But so far, Jurich said the recreation center solar project is far and away the largest every completed on campus. However, he and many others hope that’s not the case for long.

Nobel Prize winning physics professor Walter Kohn, who has long been an advocate for solar energy, said a recently formed sustainability committee on campus is grappling with how best to execute future projects. He said an effort is already underway to utilize, in some fashion, “every square inch of campus,” with the ultimate goal of “solarizing campus.”

Kohn said there’s little doubt in his mind the world’s fossil fuel supply will be drained in 20 to 30 years, and the transition into clean energy, for buildings and cars, will be something more akin to a “revolution.”

He called the recreation center solar project a “fantastic example” of what other institutions should adopt.

Kohn also said the push towards more sustainable forms of energy is not something coming from his generation, but it’s one of the rare times in history where the young are teaching the old.

The amount of kilowatt-hours generated per day by the solar system will be displayed at a kiosk within the building.

On a sunny day, Jurich said the system will produce more energy during peak hours than the facility uses. He said the excess energy will be stored on the UCSB power grid, and drawn upon when needed.

Jon Spaventa, director of the Department of Exercise and Sports Studies, echoed Young’s comments on the cooperative effort between students and the administration to make the project a reality.

“It’s a prime example of how universities should function,” he said. “It’s a prime example for the rest of the world.”

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Supplier? : 12/8/2008

Is there a local Company with whom I can communicate about installation of my own solar?

Red Creek

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WOW : 12/8/2008

A fifteen year simple payback. Which toxic waste dump in China produced the solar equipment?

jonpauls

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jonpauls you are a moron : 12/8/2008

Explain to me why a Chinese toxic waste dump would be in the business of solar PV panel production? Your brand of thinking is exactly what we don't need in this country.

freeman

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15 year simple payback! : 1/5/2009

jonpaul is not a moron, just a cynical econ major that needs to see the light. Green power is worth pursuing at nearly any cost at this point in our existance... the fact that the ReCen PV array has any 'payback' period is simply a bonus. Bravo ReCen, and Bravo Student Affairs and the Students for making this happen despite some negative campus politics.

GreenBeret

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Bright Lights & Golden Gaucho Linings : 12/6/2009

From one Gaucho alumn' 2003: I'm in process of improving my home for a "solar system" capable of powering all basic consumption requirements. This includes electric cars about 2012.... Please note Renault-Nissan's "consumer-line-autos" beginning release in '10. While solar works with my home development's restrictions,... why would a windy (as I recall) SB / IV / et. al. area rely on soley solar? The county's one brimming with wealthy, scientfically minded folks. Logistic that (please), and, next, lead the world. Hegal!

Kip

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