Contact: Mark Mazzaferro
City of Vallejo
707-649-5462
or Iris Chan
Marketing Coordinator
415-459-4201
iris.chan@spgsolar.com

CITY OF VALLEJO TO UNVEIL SOLAR POWER FOR POLICE STATION

Vallejo, Calif. (August 1, 2002)–The City of Vallejo and SPG Solar, Inc. (SPG) of San Rafael announced today the dedication ceremonies for a 31 kilowatt solar power facility at the City of Vallejo’s Police Department headquarters.

The dedication ceremonies will take place at 11 AM on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at the City’s Corporation Yard, 111 Amador Street, Vallejo. The Corporation Yard is located behind the Vallejo Police Department headquarters.

The solar array provides backup power for the Police Department’s computer network in case of a blackout, and a large proportion of the power needed every day by the City’s Police Dispatch Center.

SPG designed and installed the 31 kW solar array on the roof of the City’s vehicle maintenance garage behind Police headquarters. The array is composed of photovoltaic (PV) panels that convert sunlight directly into electricity. The system will generate 55,000 kilowatt hours of energy from the sun in a year, and is among the largest public sector solar power installations in the nation.

"This project is just another element of our overall goal of becoming as energy self-sufficient as we possibly can," said City Manager David Martinez. "We’ve made a commitment to clean solar and wind power, and the Vallejo Police Department system demonstrates that commitment."

City of Vallejo Switches On Solar for Police Headquarters

The City has plans to add solar panels to the roofs of City Hall and the John F. Kennedy Library, and is also working on a stand-alone solar array on property it owns in the northeastern section of Vallejo.

"This solar power system gives the City of Vallejo a substantial cost savings, and helps to insulate the Police Department from the variables in the utility grid," said Dan Thompson, SPG’s Founder, President and CEO. "The City of Vallejo has an impressive ability to recognize a need and take action. They’ll see the results of this solar power system in their electric bill."

SPG designed the solar photovoltaic array and installed it on the roof of the City Vehicle Maintenance building behind the Vallejo Police headquarters. The system is connected to the utility power grid, which continues to supply most of the Police Department’s electricity.

On bright, sunny days the system produces more electricity than the building needs, and the extra is sent out to the grid in a process called "net energy metering." At the end of the year, the City of Vallejo is credited back for the electricity it produced but didn’t use and sent to the grid.

Vallejo has been committed to energy conservation since December 2000 when the threat of rolling blackouts due to power shortages first became a reality in California. Measures the city has undertaken include a four-day workweek at City Hall, installation of energy saving devices at various city buildings, and a plan to replace its current fleet of gas-combustion vehicles with hybrid vehicles.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District also named the City of Vallejo a 2001/2002 Clean Air Champion for its efforts to increase its commitment to alternative energy sources, which includes solar panels and wind turbines.
In addition to the City of Vallejo, SPG’s governmental clients include the Sewerage Commission — Oroville Region, where SPG is installing a 520 kW system to be commissioned in November.

How Solar Works

Solar energy systems consist of three components: PV panels, inverters and a performance monitor. PV panels convert sunlight into DC (direct current) electricity. The inverters change the DC into AC (alternating current), the same power supplied by electric utilities. The AC is distributed through a building's electric service panel and flows to outlets, lights and switches. The performance monitor shows the amount of power the system is generating at any time to verify production. Solar is a clean and renewable form of electricity generation. PV systems generally have no moving parts (with the exception of solar tracking systems), is silent, runs all the time while the sun is shining, and produces zero emissions-air, ground or water.

About SPG Solar, Inc.

SPG is the industry's most experienced developer, designer, and installer of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for homes, businesses, and large-scale commercial and government facilities. SPG's commitment is to build the highest-performing solar PV systems with the highest return on investment. The result is clean, reliable electricity that reduces or eliminates customers' electric utility costs. SPG has installed over 500 solar systems in California, including the Potrero Hill Head Start in San Francisco, and Westmont High School in Campbell, California. Major projects include the Vallejo Police and Fire headquarters, Vallejo, Calif., and the 520 kW system for the Sewerage Commission-Oroville Region. SPG is a licensed and bonded California General B, Solar C-46 and Electrical C-10 Contractor, License #759086.