To finance its solar project, the county government secured a 15-year loan through the California Energy Commission and issued renewable-energy bonds. The solar array that the county is building will produce 1 megawatt of power - enough to save about $8.8 million in energy costs over the next quarter-century.
The justice campus' solar power system will use sun-tracking mounting hardware that can increase sun capture by as much as 25 percent over conventional solar arrays.
"State and federal funding has helped make solar power an easy, affordable means to reduce county operational costs as well as our dependence on fossil fuels," Yolo County Board of Supervisors chairwoman Helen M. Thomson said.
The Yolo County government relied on loans to go solar - and homeowners looking to adopt solar energy can do the same thing. Some California utilities provide loans to customers who install solar arrays, and certain municipalities offer loans that are paid back through property tax assessments (so-called Property Assessed Clean Energy programs). For homeowners and businesses alike, going solar can be surprisingly cost-effective.
