Solar Energy System Shines at Fairgrounds

Every day the sun shines, Ron Murphy saves a few bucks -- and California saves a little more energy.

Since installing solar panels last summer, the operations supervisor at the Ventura County Fairgrounds estimates he has saved more than $75,000 on his annual $325,000 electric bill.

“So far it looks pretty promising,” Murphy said of the renewable energy project, part of a statewide effort to get fairgrounds to switch over to solar power.

During the height of the state’s energy crisis in 2001, former Gov. Gray Davis launched the energy conversion program as a way to save money and electricity.

So far, a dozen fairgrounds -- in counties including Ventura, Riverside and San Diego -- have made the switch, thanks to a combination of state grants, low-interest loans and participation of energy companies. To date, more than $20 million has been spent on the program.

The largest systems -- in Alameda and Del Mar -- each produce 1 megawatt of electricity, enough to power as many as 200 homes for a month. Seaside Park in Ventura County, with nearly 4,000 solar panels and a 512-kilowatt capacity, is the third-largest of those installed.

Tom Baker, executive officer of the California Construction Authority, oversees the fairgrounds’ solar power conversion program, which began as a response to the threat of rolling blackouts during the summer of 2001.

He said the idea behind it is simple: Use photovoltaic equipment to replace 25% to 75% of a fairground’s electricity usage. Of the money saved, 80% pays for the solar power system itself, and the remainder helps reduce overall costs.

“We identified 50 fairgrounds where we eventually plan to do this, and we went with the first 12 that asked,” Baker said, adding that his office has not received any complaints.

California’s 74 fairgrounds are self-sustaining facilities that receive no money from the state’s general fund. Much of their income is generated from licensing fees for horse racing and off-track betting, such as at Seaside Park’s Derby Club.

To pay for each conversion, the state Public Utilities Commission joined with major power companies to issue loans and rebates to customers that helped reduce peak demand by generating their own electricity. Money for the program has also come from the Department of Food and Agriculture’s Division of Fairs and Expositions as well as private lenders.

In Ventura, for example, half of the system’s $2.44-million cost was covered by a grant administered by Southern California Edison. Roughly $300,000 came from the state in the form of an interest-free loan. A $922,000 loan at 5.5% interest over 10 years came from PFG Energy Capital, a private lender in Pasadena.

Ventura is an ideal location for a solar power system, Murphy said. The rooftop photovoltaic panels work best on sunny winter days when temperatures are cooler. While there is more daylight in summer, overcast skies along the coast -- known as “June gloom” -- can cut the system’s output in half, he said.

With thousands of panels covering roofs on 10 buildings, one of the best things about Ventura’s solar system is that it has no moving parts, Murphy said. The 3-foot-by-4-foot panels are connected to several inverters that transform the sun’s power into usable alternating current.

The fact that they are stationary “makes them virtually maintenance-free,” Murphy said. “We only really have to go hose off the panels a few times a year.”

Larry Baumann, operations manager at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego County, said his nearly 400-acre venue initially had some problems with its $4.8-million solar power system before it became operational last spring. Now, the system -- with more than 9,000 panels covering the roofs of 11 horse stables -- is expected to cut more than a fifth from Del Mar’s $1-million annual electric bill.

“I’m really tickled with the system ... now that all the bugs have been worked out,” Baumann said.

One of the smallest solar power systems installed as part of the program was at Colorado River Fairgrounds in Blythe in Riverside County.

Kenny Kalian, who oversees the Colorado River Fairgrounds, said his nearly 2-year-old photovoltaic system uses 1,050 panels to capture sunlight and convert it into roughly 42 kilowatts of power. The system cost $266,000 to install.

Paying less for power has enabled Kalian’s venue to use more electricity at a reduced cost. The fairgrounds is now open longer in the summer, and its irrigation equipment runs more often to keep grass at the 30-acre site green. Before the solar system became operational in May 2002, the cost of air conditioning was prohibitive and Kalian’s office closed at noon.

“The system is designed to create enough electricity that, hopefully at some point in time, we will not get a usage bill,” he said. “Where else can you get free electricity once the system is paid for?”