Anaheim Flipping Switch to Solar Power

Joel Davidson gets excited when he looks out his eighth-story Anaheim office window. Where others might see a typical urban landscape, Davidson--a solar power consultant for Anaheim Public Utilities--sees potential in the rooftops below him. Solar panels on each one, he says, could produce electricity for the city in an environmentally harmless way.

By the end of the month, Davidson will have his vision fulfilled on one, albeit very large, rooftop. But that’s just for starters.

Anaheim Public Utilities is installing Orange County’s largest solar power project yet atop the Anaheim Convention Center. By fall 2001, solar systems will be in place on the roofs of Anaheim High School and two Anaheim police stations.

“I’ve had one goal: to get as much solar power in use as possible,” Davidson said. “Not because it’s the best. But because it’s the cleanest.”

Royal blue solar modules made of silicon will cover 12,000 square feet of Convention Center rooftop. By absorbing the sun’s energy and converting it into electricity, the system will produce 102 kilowatts of power, enough electricity for 27 homes. Together, the high school and police stations will generate enough power for 18 homes.

Utility officials hope Anaheim’s push into solar power--also known as photovoltaics--will launch a future for renewable energy in the city. But they also want to use the sites’ visibility to educate the public about solar power’s benefits.

Visitors to the Convention Center can view the 924 modules, measuring 38 by 45 inches each, from an observation deck. In the downstairs lobby, they’ll have access to data about the panels’ productivity and information about factors influencing output such as wind and the sun’s intensity. At Anaheim High, students will be able to access similar data from a computer.

With sunshine a plentiful and free commodity in Southern California, investing in solar energy makes sense, said Dukku Lee, product development specialist for the municipal utilities company.

Anaheim began looking into building solar power after 1996 state legislation restructured California’s electricity market. The legislation mandated that public utilities put aside 2.85% of their revenue for renewable energy, energy efficiency and research and development programs.

Thus far, public utilities in Anaheim, Los Angeles and Sacramento have chosen to develop solar power. Many within Anaheim Public Utilities attribute the company’s progressive move to their boss, General Manager Edward Aghjayan, who will retire in December.

Aghjayan said he pushed for solar projects because he wanted Anaheim to have a balanced array of electric generation sources. “We have to look for ways to lower our costs and keep our environment clean,” he said. “We can’t depend on just the fossil fuels.”

Photons from the sun excite electrons in the silicon solar modules, inducing them to move in the semiconductive material. The resulting current is collected and channeled into the city’s electricity grid.

Solar power is generated only when the sun is shining, but that’s when the city has its peak demand, Aghjayan said.

It costs more than conventional electricity--power from the Convention Center modules will cost two to four times as much--but prices have declined, while prices for gas and oil have increased.