More Than 80 Percent of District's Electricity Costs Offset by Solar System

MADERA, Calif.--The Energy Alternatives Division of Cupertino Electric, Inc. (CEI) today announced the completion of a ground-mount and parking lot canopy-based 1.2 Megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system for the Golden Valley Unified School District in Madera, California. The district's solar system was designed and built by CEI and was installed on canopies and nearby land owned by the district between February and June of 2012.

"As school budgets continue to be razor thin, we are overjoyed to have a solar system up and running to offset our electricity costs at Golden Valley," said Andy Alvarado, superintendent of Golden Valley Unified School District. "Our annual cost of electricity will be no greater than what we paid in the last year before we converted to solar, thanks to Cupertino Electric and project manager TerraVerde Renewable Partners."

Solar System Specifics

CEI installed nearly 4,000 solar panels on Golden Valley Unified School District property to produce a combined capacity of nearly 1.2 Megawatts. A majority of the solar panels are mounted on unused district property, while the remaining panels are mounted on school-based canopies that provide shade for students and faculty. The CEI-built solar system is expected to produce 1.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year to offset more than 80 percent of the district's annual electricity costs.

About Cupertino Electric, Inc.

Cupertino Electric, Inc. (CEI) (www.cei.com) is a private company headquartered in San Jose, Calif. that has provided expert engineering and construction services for a constantly evolving world for more than 58 years. CEI's Energy Alternatives Division engineers, procures, constructs and maintains solar and renewable energy solutions. For more information, visit www.cei.com.