Martifer Solar Installation Gives Big Blue Bus a Big Green Advantage.
When Martifer Solar USA installed the 528 solar panels topping Santa Monica’s new Big Blue Bus building in September 2009, it played a subtle role in the big story about the new 66,000 square foot workspace and office building for the popular public transportation system.
Today, Martifer Solar’s part of the story continues to grow as the custom-designed photovoltaic panels reach production of more than 21,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity since their installation, while offsetting the building’s carbon emissions by more than 27,000 pounds.
This, during the rain season in Southern California. According to Martifer Solar Development Manager Wade Webb, the 95 kW (DC) system will produce even more when Southern California can string consecutive days of sunshine together. Currently, the panels are averaging approximately 240 kWh per day; during the summer months the panels will kick production up to nearly 440 kWh per day -- enough to power a 60 watt light bulb 24 hours a day for 10 months.“By this summer, the solar panel system should be generating a significant portion of the energy at the building,” said Webb. “In the end, we anticipate the panels may reduce the building’s energy costs by up to 15 per cent a year.”
"The City of Santa Monica has a very forward thinking sustainability policy, and we're always looking for new opportunities to be green," said Ralph Merced, transit maintenance manager for Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus.
"The inclusion of solar panels on the new transit maintenance facility was a very important aspect of the overall design, as energy efficiency was high on our list of priorities." Working with architects HOK and Morley Construction Company, Martifer Solar custom-tailored the 528 panels to fit into the design of the building, which serves as headquarters, docking station and maintenance for a fleet of 240 busses.
Merced said he and his staff were very pleased with their association with Martifer Solar throughout the construction process, especially with regards to the rebate application process. "Not all companies are this helpful, and we really appreciated their assistance with all the paperwork required for such a large scale project," he said. “The initial investment made by Santa Monica for the green initiatives are going to pay off very quickly,” said Martifer Solar CEO, Raffi Agopian.
“Santa Monica is on the forefront of using alternative energy technology with solar being the most obvious in Southern California. However, with state and federal initiatives so attractive right now, more cities and companies can implement something as simple as adding solar panels to their buildings to help meet their alternative energy goals.”
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