Del Monte Electric announces its recent completion of a 51-school electrical installation for solar power systems at Mount Diablo Unified School District. This large, 15-month project was a collaborative effort between a major solar provider, a general construction company, a steel erection company and an architectural and design firm to install over 12 megawatts of photo voltaic (PV) power to the entire school district. Electric costs are estimated to fall by $3 million per year.
The project was completed in 4 phases and much of the work occurred during the year when school was open. Del Monte Electric provided the entire electrical installation at the school sites from the AC tie in at the utility point of connection, through the underground electrical distribution, PV equipment installation, PV panel installation and all other associated electrical work. Over 28,000 PV panels and over 150 miles of wire were installed on carports and rooftops throughout the campuses.
The work encompassed having three large underground crews working on boring, drilling, and excavating at the same time at different sites to complete the underpad electrical work in order to meet the schedule demands.
The funding source for the $56 million project came from voter-approved Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS), and the elimination of 90% utility cost will free up financial resources needed for the district.
