SAN JOSE, Calif., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- City of San Jose Mayor, Chuck Reed and DRI Energy today celebrated the activation of a 1.24MW solar deployment at San Jose's Central Service Yard located at 1661 Senter Road.

Comprised of more than 5,300 photovoltaic solar panels and deployed on the rooftops and new parking canopies at the City's Central Service Yard, the solar power systems are expected to generate more than 1.8 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in the first year alone and more than 33 million kWh over 20 years. The City will use all of the energy produced to offset demand for this facility from the grid.

"This project brings us one step closer to our Green Vision goal of receiving 100 percent of our electricity from clean, renewable sources," San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said. "The City will also be able to reduce long-term energy costs at the Central Service Yard, without spending any money on the upfront capital investment."

The solar power systems were financed and deployed with no upfront costs to the City. The City of San Jose will purchase the power produced from each system at long-term predictable rates for 20 years. DRI Energy was responsible for the design and construction of the solar systems.

"San Jose, California's Green Vision is an ambitious evolution that aims to transform this Bay Area community," stated Brian Flaherty, president of DRI Energy.  "DRI Energy is proud to be a part of this endeavor and commend the City for their ongoing efforts."

Over 20 years, the solar power systems will produce enough energy to power more than 3,100 average US homes for one year. In that same amount of time, the environmental attributes associated with the solar deployments are expected to offset more than 35 million pounds of carbon dioxide — equivalent to removing more than 3,400 cars from the road for one year.

Occupying a former Beech-Nut baby food plant, San Jose's Central Service Yard is the home of the City's Department of General Services and also houses portions of the Department of Public Works. The large facility is comprised of a three-story building and six warehouses located on a 22-acre plot of land that stretches from South 10th Street to Senter Road.

ABOUT THE CITY OF SAN JOSE

From its founding in 1777 as California's first city, San Jose has been a leader, driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San Jose stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley — the world's leading center of innovation. The city, the 10th largest in the U.S., is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, to work and to live. For more information, visit, www.sanjoseca.gov.

ABOUT SAN JOSE'S GREEN VISION

On October 7, 2007, Mayor Chuck Reed introduced San Jose's Green Vision, which sets 10 ambitious goals for environmental protection and economic development. This 15-year plan envisions: creating 25,000 Clean Tech jobs; building or retrofitting 50 million square feet of green buildings; installing 100,000 solar roofs; reducing per capita electricity use by half; becoming a zero waste city; recycling and reusing 100 percent of the city's water; and moving to 100 percent renewable energy. For more information, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/greenvision/.

SOURCE The City of San Jose