'Grid positive' Butte College generates more power than it uses
California’s Butte College has become the first college in the US to go “grid positive,” which means it will generate more electricity from its solar arrays than it consumes, delivering that excess power back into the electric grid.
Butte College, located 75 miles from Sacramento, expects to save between $50 million and $75 million over 15 years — even after accounting for project costs and interest — by eliminating its electricity bill, getting paid for excess electricity production, and avoiding future electricity rate increases. It plans to use those savings to improve student offerings and increase enrollment.
“Achieving grid-positive status marks the culmination of years of effort to build Butte College’s supply of solar power and to improve energy efficiency on campus,” said Diana Van Der Ploeg, college president. “Having the support of the board of trustees, faculty, staff, and students was essential to making this achievement possible.”
Butte College operates a total of 25,000 solar panels that will generate over 6.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year — enough to power more than 941 average-sized homes.
“I’ve asked community colleges to become more entrepreneurial and seek out new and innovative ways to generate revenue and to cut operating costs,” said Jack Scott, chancellor of California Community Colleges. “Butte College dramatically accomplishes both of these goals by becoming grid positive. Furthermore, this college’s solar arrays will train workers for jobs in the green energy field — an outcome that will help California’s economy and recovery.”
Because of its rural location, Butte College is unique among the state’s community colleges because it operates as a self-contained city. It has its own water system, maintains its own sewage treatment facility, and operates the largest community college transportation system in California. The college implemented its first solar energy project in 2005 and its second in 2008.
