Cupertino Electric Installs Solar System at Orchard School to Drastically Reduce Electricity Costs

Cupertino Electric, Inc.’s Energy Alternatives Division (CEI-EA) today announced it has completed installation of the solar photovoltaic (PV) system for the Orchard School District (“District”) located in San Jose, Calif. During its first year of operation, the solar system is expected to reduce the District’s annual electrical costs by an estimated forty percent.

Construction of the system began in June 2009, was installed by Cupertino Electric and was managed by Blach Construction Company. The 240 kilowatt (kW) PV system is a “grid-tied” system owned by the District that enables the District to sell power back to utility company PG&E. Most importantly, the system allows the District to reallocate funds from facilities-related expenses to education-related expenses. During its lifetime, the system is expected to generate approximately 7,096,980 kW hours of power for the District, which is the equivalent of taking 933 cars off the road every year for the next 20 years.

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