SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRIPT

USD To Install 1.23-Megawatt Solar Energy System

(November 17, 2009, San Diego, CA)

University of San Diego and AMSOLAR announced plans to install more than 1 megawatt of solar power on the campus before the end of next year.

The year-old San Diego-based company will finance the installation through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement, said Joshua Weinstein, managing partner of AMSOLAR Corp. Under the agreement, AMSOLAR will own, install and maintain the solar energy system and USD will purchase the power generated at a reduced rate. The solar installation will be the eighth largest at a U.S. university and will reduce USD’s energy costs by 15 percent each year. Construction is expected to get under way within the next 90 days and be completed in March or April.

The announcement was made outside USD’s new Student Life Pavilion. The building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s sustainability gauge, said USD President Mary Lyons. Solar installations will include outdoor laptop charging stations and rooftop solar panels on nine buildings, including academic facilities, residence halls, a parking structure and the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The various technologies will produce a combined 1.23 megawatts of solar energy.

San Diego-based Helix Electric Inc. will preserve the Spanish renaissance architectural style of USD’s campus by installing the solar panels in a way that hides them from view.

The solar initiative is part of the university’s strategic plan, Lyons said. In addition to generating a cost savings for the university, the initiative will create green jobs in the region. The campus is already the 12th largest private employer in the region.

The project also will contribute to a reduction in air pollution as the university becomes less dependent on energy generated through the burning of fossil fuels, said County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who was present for the announcement. Improving air quality is an important policy goal for Roberts, who also serves on the California Air Resources Board.

Through the massive solar installation, USD will join San Diego’s other large universities such as University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University as a top ranking campus for sustainability. In recent years, the region has become a hotbed for the clean-tech industry, with many top solar, wind and algae biofuel companies located in the region, said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.

“When you become a leader in San Diego, you can pretty much say you are the leader in the nation,” Sanders said.

In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, the solar energy project also has significance for USD as a faith-based institution.

“Preserving the earth and its resources is at the heart of Catholic teaching,” Lyons said.