Work has begun on the installation of a 262.9 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop array at the Charlottesville Area Technical Education Center that, according to project estimates, will account for more than 60 percent of the building’s energy consumption.
“Installing solar on our facility will help us fulfill the emissions reduction pledge and will provide us with a fantastic opportunity to model clean energy as a realistic and tangible strategy to our students,” said Dr. Stacey Heltz, the director of CATEC, a regional technical education center with students from local high schools and adult students.
The project, slated to be completed by the fall, consists of 478 panels with a projected onsite power generation of 250,000 kWh annually.
The work is a big step in the direction of getting the city government toward meeting its climate goals of reducing emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.
“We are committed to climate action being realized across the city government, which includes the school buildings we manage for Charlottesville City Schools. This project will make a big difference in how CATEC is powered, reducing both energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions by generating onsite clean energy,” Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders said.
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Chris Graham
