11/29/10 – With orange cones and construction tractors lining the streets of the City of Brea, CA, the city is on its way to being the largest solar power producer in its county. Since January 2009, the city has been undergoing renovation and some areas are nearing completion.
Solar panels were installed at the Brea Community Center parking lot and they are now functioning as both energy savers and as shades for cars that used to be parked under the sun.
Installation of solar panels on the roof began in August 2010 at the Brea Civic Center, which consists of the Brea Police Department, Brea Public Library, Curtis Theatre, and Brea Art Gallery. The panels will be connected to an inverter and permit less electricity usage throughout the city.
Shaveta Sharma, city coordinator, believes that “the benefits from the solar panels [are] reduced cost of electricity, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of those panels.”
According to ocregister.com, the total cost of the solar panel project will be $17.7 million, and maybe more, but the project will eventually help Brea save $42 million in energy costs.
Many Brea residents and students support the green changes that the city is making.
“Even though construction can make it hard to get to school at times, I’m glad that Brea is doing what we can to fight against air pollution and [excess] electricity use,” Michelle Suh, sophomore at Brea Olinda High School, said. “We can often forget that it is our job to protect the environment, not to harm it.”
Besides solar panels, Brea has renovated the sidewalks of Birch Street, also known as Downtown Brea, and it is now lined with blue streaks for a more appealing look. Sharma said that new sidewalk designs were meant to “encourage people to walk to downtown and reduce their automobile usage.”
With new solar panels and street improvements, the city is looking forward to spending less on electricity and helping residents spend less on gas, even if it’s just by walking to Birch Street.
