Honeywell and Solano County in solar deal

Honeywell and Solano County in solar deal
East Bay Business Times

Solano County boosted its commitment to solar energy with a 20-year solar power purchase agreement with Honeywell International Inc., the Morristown, N.J. technology and manufacturing company.

Under the agreement, Honeywell will install a 746-kilowatt solar array near the Claybank Adult Detention Facility in Fairfield and sell the electricity produced to the county to help power the jail. Honeywell plans to install the solar panels on bus ports it will build at a parking lot for local school buses near the facility.

The county expects it will save more than $1 million a year in energy costs over the next 20 years, at which time it will have the option to purchase the solar array or continue to purchase the electricity.

The solar project is expected to generate nearly 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, or enough to power more than 100 homes a year. It will supply more than 60 percent of the facility's electricity needs, and will cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 14,500 metric tons over the course of the contract.

It is the third solar electric facility in Solano County, and brings the county's renewable energy power generation to more than one megawatt.