Oxy Offers $2,000 Solar Rebate

This coming Wednesday, at 7 p.m., will offer homeowners and small business owners in Eagle Rock, Highland Park and Mt. Washington an opportunity to be a part of a solar-based alternative energy project that promises to make Oxy something of a pioneering trendsetter in environmental conservation.

The Project

A 1-megawatt solar array on two undeveloped on-campus acres of the sunset-facing slope of Fiji Hill and on cantilevered solar shade structures on an adjacent parking lot. The project, which will use some of the smallest, most efficient and therefore relatively expensive solar panels available, is aimed at generating about 11 percent of Oxy’s annual power consumption while removing 1,250 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year (the equivalent of keeping 250 automobiles off the road).

The Deal

To help keep costs down, Oxy is partnering with SunPower, the manufacturer of its proposed solar panels, to offer homeowners and small-business entrepreneurs in the 90041, 90042 and 90065 zip codes a rebate of up to $2,000 on the rooftop installation of a SunPower solar system. The rebate can be earned on top of any federal, state or local discounts for solar projects.

Another bit of good news is that the program, also available to Oxy affiliates, will be aesthetically pleasing and will not interfere with public access to “Mount” Fiji—the top of Fiji Hill that, besides the college’s book store, is probably its second best-kept secret.

Working with a Highland Park-based design firm, Lettuce, Oxy has developed a leading-edge configuration for the hillside array that combines the latest technology with art: Instead of standing out as a topographical eyesore, the array’s panels, positioned just two feet to three feet off the hillside, will hug the terrain in keeping with a mathematical expression known as the hysteresis curve.

Find Out More

To learn more about the program, attend an infosession about the solar array offer at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, at the Lower Herrick Chapel, near the main entrance to campus from the intersection of Campus Road and Alumni Avenue.

The workshop will be led by Oxy Physics Professor Dan Snowden-Ifft. If you are unable to attend the event or have any questions about the offer, you may contact Professor Snowden-Ifft at ifft@oxy.edu.

Click here for a campus map. More information about the project can be found here. You can also obtain a free home assessment while finding out if solar installation makes sense for you. Finally, learn more about the costs and financial benefits of solar power.

(Note: Although the Oxy solar array is a joint project between the college and SunPower, to be eligible for this community offer you must enroll through SunPower.)