Santa Cruz County $7.4 Million Solar Panel project nearing completion

The County of Santa Cruz is nearing completion of it’s $7.4 million solar panel project.

The project started in December and is expected to be completed by the end of March with the exception of one building.

Solar panels are being installed at 7 different locations; The County Governmental Building, 1080 and 1400 Emeline, Center for Public Safety, Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, Simpkins Family Swim Center, Public Works Brommer Yard, and Rountree Detention Facility (which will be built in April).

County spokesperson Jason Hoppin says the panels will save taxpayers $10 million over the next 25 years, “the county’s energy use will be reduced by half. That is where the savings come in, we’re not spending money on electricity off the grid anymore. We are generating it locally with the solar arrays and it will reduce carbon emissions by about 637 tons annually so it’s a really good thing for the environment.”

In a press release County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty said, “This project will reduce County government’s carbon footprint even further, while providing jobs and freeing up millions of dollars over the next twenty years for other needed projects and services.”

Santa Cruz County taxpayers KION spoke with were pleased to hear about the project. “You have to make those investments, I mean the cost other sources of energy isn’t going to go down so it’s an excellent time I think, the panels are more efficient now than ever,” says Tom Fredericks who lives in Felton.

Residents Jima Martin and Peter Hiskes agree. “I think it’s a wonderful idea that more places should do it if they have the money, it saves the environment, and it saves money eventually down the line,” says Martin.

Hiskes says it’s something he’d like to see more of, “any kind of a green infrastructure is a wonderful asset to the community, overall it saves more money down the road and I think it’s about time. I’d
like to see more happening with the county.”

The panels are expected to produce energy for 25 years and when they no longer do, Hoppin says they will be replaced, “they’ll degrade almost like a battery degrades over time. So the returns are reduced overtime then you’ll have to replace them at that point, but we have the infrastructure to do that so we expect these to be here for the long haul.”