MUSD Begins Installation of Solar Panel Project
From left, Board Members Ute Van Dam, Nathan Sweet, Amy Adams and Robert Perez with Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hays and Board Member Scott Dettorre commemorate the groundbreaking of Moorpark Unified School District’s new solar panel project on Tues., April 9 at the district’s office on Maureen Lane.
(Moorpark, California) April 9, 2024—Moorpark Unified School District officials commemorated the start of construction on a districtwide solar panels project with a ceremonial groundbreaking at its main office on Tuesday, April 9.
Board Members Nathan Sweet, Robert Perez, Ute Van Dam, Scott Dettorre and Amy Adams, who were joined by Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hays, took part in the late afternoon ceremony.
The project is being done at no cost to the district through a Power Purchase Agreement with New York-based Luminance, one of the largest installers of clean-energy systems companies in North America.
“This is an incredible opportunity for MUSD to not only provide cleaner energy at our schools, but we expect the use of the solar panels to save us nearly $10 million in energy costs over the next 20 years,” Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hays said.
The Board of Education approved the agreement in May 2022.
The review of real estate and property documents and architectural plans for all sites began in June 2022 and took approximately nine months to complete, said Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Lynn David. She said the legal review overlapped with system engineering and architectural design and approval began in July 2022.
“The vendor, Luminance, was selected following extensive research by district staff based on pricing and the company's extensive experience with constructing solar systems on school district campuses,” David said.
Construction has begun at the district office and Campus Canyon College Preparatory Academy with work slated to begin April 15 at Arroyo West Active Learning Academy. Chaparral and Mesa Verde middle schools are planned to be next for solar panel installation.
Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Denise Berrington said the goal is to bring solar panels to the district’s 10 campuses by the end of 2025.
“We do not anticipate this project to interfere with classroom learning,” Hays said. “The construction crews have also been advised to avoid deliveries or moving construction equipment at pickup or drop off times during the week to minimize disruptions for our families.”