Honeywell Awarded Solar Project by Pleasanton Unified School District (SF CA)

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http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAPR723.htm

Honeywell today announced that the in the San Francisco Bay Area has awarded the company a unique solar energy project, one of the first of its kind for a K-12 school district in California. Under the agreement, Honeywell will install, own and maintain solar panels on seven district buildings, and sell the electricity the panels produce to the district at a price significantly below its current utility rate.

"As caretakers of the public's money, our district always is exploring new ways to be more efficient," said Larry Lagatta, director of maintenance and operations at Pleasanton Unified School District, which serves 14,600 students in Pleasanton, Calif. "Through the agreement with Honeywell, we're able to realize significant cost savings, as well as address our primary goal of being good stewards of the environment."

The solar technology is expected to supply 20 percent of the district's electricity and save it an estimated $2.5 million in energy costs over the course of the 20-year contract. After the agreement expires, the school district can continue purchasing electricity from Honeywell, acquire ownership of the solar panels or explore other energy providers. "This is the one of the first projects in California, and quite possibly the entire nation, where the contractor operates as the utility for a K-12 school district," said Brett Illers, chief operating officer at Information and Energy Services, Inc., an energy management consultant for the district.

"Honeywell has taken an innovative step to help a school district with an inflexible budget lower its energy costs without requiring it to make an up-front capital investment or handle ongoing maintenance."

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