You have to admit that this is a damn good idea.
An array of 25 "solar trees"(TM) converts a 186-vehicle parking lot into a 235-kilowatt solar electric generating system, 8611 Balboa Avenue in San Diego. The system's 25 "solar trees" form a carport in an employee parking lot, utilizing a total of 1,400 Kyocera KC-187G solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and 200 custom-manufactured, light-filtering PV modules. The system's capacity of 235 kilowatts -- capable of generating 421,000 kilowatt hours per year -- will be equivalent to the electrical needs of 68 typical San Diego homes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Power Profiler, generating this amount of electricity through conventional fossil fuel resources would annually release 338,905 pounds of carbon dioxide, 421 pounds of nitrous oxide and 253 pounds of sulfur dioxide.
The project is supported by the California Public Utilities Commission's "Self Generation Incentive Program," which will cover approximately 36% of the system's purchase and installation costs; as well as federal and state tax credits, and a five-year accelerated depreciation schedule. The standard Kyocera solar modules used in the Solar Grove are covered by a 25-year manufacturer's warranty, and Kyocera anticipates that the Solar Grove will pay for itself within 12 years.
Kyocera commissioned the architecture firm of Tucker Sadler to design the Solar Grove.
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