Valley Plants Seeds of Energy Independence

Already a front runner in the Los Angeles Community College District's plan to make its campuses more environmentally friendly, Valley College continues to develop ways to make itself a leader in energy-efficiency.

Following its certification as the district's first college with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-accredited building, Valley has a plan in the works to have a one-megawatt photovoltaic farm, which uses an array of solar cells, known as photovoltaic cells, to convert sunlight into energy.

A small photovoltaic farm currently sits on top of the Maintenance and Operations building, contributing 10 percent of the facility's energy. New campus constructions will also have small photovoltaic farms, but the one-megawatt farm, which has yet to find a location, would supply 100 percent energy for the entire campus.

"What the district is trying to do is also at some point have no electrical bill," said Mitchell Vaccari, senior project director for URS (United Research Services). "[With the hopes] that all the electrical bills disappear and we use all renewable energy."

Even though the district-wide LEED project's sustainability requirements are being met, Valley is actively looking to schedule construction to move forward with the one-megawatt farm, which is not mandatory.

"We become a part of the solution to the energy crisis because we would be producing our own energy and not being dependent on fossil fuels," said Valley President Tyree Wieder. "We are an educational institution and I think it's important that we take a leadership role in having an institution that is self-supporting, as far as energy use is concerned."

At the moment the ambitious project is in its early stages.

"It's not for sure that were going do it," said Wieder. "[But] that's the plan. We're trying to find a company that will be willing to work with us to build it."

The one-megawatt farm model is set up in a way that it is similar to a parking or shade structure, allowing for parking underneath while the photovoltaic cells absorb the sunlight and convert it into electrical energy.

"It will probably take up all of parking lot D," said Vaccari. "It's huge …. it can create shade too, which is really nice. And [it]will provide energy for everything."

One of the major obstacles Valley is encountering in building the farm is determining where the funding will come from.

"We do have to fund it through our [Propositions A/AA] bond program," said Vaccari. "But we're not sure how it's going to be funded, so we haven't quite made the decision yet as to which way to go."

The farm would free Valley of its dependence on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as an energy source. The campus would thus be entirely self-sufficient in its energy production, which can lead to greater cost efficiency.

"It is conceivable that we could save money in about 10 years," said Tom Jacobsmeyer, vice president of administrative services. "The college also sets a good example by showing that it is willing to commit resources to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by using solar power."

According to Wieder, until they find a company to build it, the farm is still a long-term plan that is only being considered, but she hopes to work toward establishing a construction schedule possibly in the next two years.