Coast Guard goes green

In a county pouring millions of dollars into solar energy, the Coast Guard base at Two Rock is now among the major producers of power from the sun -- and it hasn't cost taxpayers a dime.

A 4-acre array of blue silicon solar panels, strategically tilted to maximize their southern exposure, soon will help generate 1 megawatt of electricity, meeting 60 percent of the base's peak power need.

The 5,230 panels are the "crown jewel" of the training center's campaign to cut power consumption and boost renewable energy sources, said Tony van Winden, deputy facilities engineer at the 800-acre base in southern Sonoma County dairy country.

Capt. Chris Hall, the base commander, said the program -- which cut the base's power bill by $150,000 last year without the solar array -- should set standards for the Coast Guard's nationwide "go green" effort.

Measures to cut power consumption include solar heating for the base swimming pool, solar-powered street lights, white coating on 35 rooftops to reflect light and heat, light tubes for interior lighting and even devices to reduce the power used by soda vending machines.

"Our program is in the forefront" of the Coast Guard's campaign, intended to meet requirements of the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, Hall said.

With a 1-megawatt capacity, the Two Rock base will be tied for second-largest solar power facility in Sonoma County. Agilent Technologies also operates a 1-megawatt solar array atop a three-acre parking structure at its Fountaingrove campus, and Sonoma Mountain Village built a 1-megawatt system on 90,000 square feet of commercial rooftops in Rohnert Park.

The leader is the Sonoma County Water Agency with 2.7 megawatts of capacity at three sites, including wastewater treatment plants in Sonoma Valley and at the county airport.

Meanwhile, home and business owners have submitted 375 applications for more than $17 million worth of loans for solar power projects from Sonoma County's Energy Independence Program.

The program, launched in March and the first of its kind in the state, allows property owners to borrow a minimum of $2,500 for energy- and water-efficient improvements. Loans are repaid as part of the borrowers' twice-yearly property tax payments over five to 20 years at about 7 percent interest.

Solar projects account for

63 percent of the $29 million total in loans sought for energy conservation measures, said Amy Bolten, a Water Agency spokeswoman.

Applications are coming in daily, and the county intends to make loans indefinitely by packaging them as bonds.

"There is no end in sight," Bolten said. "We think our program is just getting going."

Sonoma County now has 2,492 solar-power installations developed by property owners and government agencies, with a collective capacity of 25 megawatts, or 4 percent of the county's total 565.5-megawatt power demand, said Jana Morris of PG&E.

Throughout PG&E's Northern and Central California system, solar facilities generate 1.5 percent of the 22,000-megawatt demand, Morris said.

A megawatt is enough power for about 750 homes.

The landlocked Coast Guard base, which trains 5,600 of the service's members a year, could become the county's largest solar producer. Assuming the new four-acre array pays off as expected, van Winden said there are about 20 acres of immediately adjoining vacant land available for expansion.

"Theoretically, we could build five more and come off the grid," Hall said.

With 500 acres currently leased to farmers as hay fields, the base has no shortage of property and could eventually produce more renewable power than it uses, he said.

Windy ridges on the sprawling base will be evaluated for the possible wind turbine development, Hall said.

Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas boasts a 140-acre solar power system, the largest in North America, generating 14 megawatts.

But Two Rock's cooler air is better suited for solar power than the desert, van Winden said, because solar cells lose efficiency as the temperature rises.

"Solar is a sure bet in this county," Hall said.

The financial terms of the project are also sunny, he said. A private contractor, SilRay Inc. of Palo Alto, financed, built, maintains and operates the solar array, selling the power to the Coast Guard at a established price for 25 years.

Energy cost savings over that period are estimated at $1.5 million, along with preventing the release of more than 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Tucked out of sight amid rolling south county hills, the silent, low-lying panels are an unobtrusive way to generate electricity, supporters said.

"There are no not-in-my-backyard issues," Hall said.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.