College of Marin Announces Partnership with Tesla Motors
New Sustainable Energy Source Anticipated to Create Significant Cost Savings
KENTFIELD, Calif., May 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night Tesla Motors, Inc. held a live presentation at Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles. During the event Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel unveiled a new Tesla battery that has home, commercial/industrial, and utility-scale storage applications.
College of Marin holds the distinction of being the first community college in California partnering with Tesla to install the new stationary storage products on campus. "As a college committed to innovation and sustainable practices, we are thrilled to be partnering with a company that is on the forefront of advancing energy alternatives," Coon said.
Being selected as a site for the energy storage systems comes with $5.3 million in government incentives that will cover site preparation costs and installation of the lithium-ion battery pack, liquid thermal control system, and software that receives dispatch commands from a solar inverter. Concrete slabs will be installed behind the Student Services Building at the Kentfield Campus and near the Main Building at the Indian Valley Campus.
Vice President Greg Nelson expects installation to begin in mid-May and last until the end of June. Once the stationary batteries are operational, Nelson estimates the cost savings to be anywhere from $100,000-$150,000 annually for the College.
"Leveraging existing relationships made this new partnership possible. Through collaboration with our friends at Marin Clean Energy, we were able to meet the program qualifications and embark on this new venture with Tesla that has been nine months in the making. This takes College of Marin to the next stage of energy conservation, moving the College forward as a leader in sustainability. I believe this program will grow, creating opportunities for other community colleges throughout the country," Nelson said.
"We are proud to partner with Tesla and others in this innovative pilot project," said Board of Trustees President Wanden Treanor. She also emphasized how this partnership reflects the Trustees commitment to ensuring sustainability was a key component of the facilities bond planning. "College of Marin is honored to help prove the potential for this new energy source while at the same time generating considerable savings to the College's energy bill. It is another step toward realizing a promise we made to the residents of Marin."
Contact: Nicole Cruz, Office 415-485-9508
SOURCE College of Marin
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