Metro announced Friday that is has saved near $185,000 in electricity costs due to the solar panel project at the bus facilities in Sun Valley and Chatsworth. The solar power installations produce 425 kilowatts of renewable energy, accounting for as much as 20 percent of each of the facilities’ total energy requirements. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement, “Far beyond being an environmentally responsible project these solar panels just make good business sense and are now helping lower agency operating costs at a time when they are most needed.” The project cost $3.3 million, of which half was funded by utility companies. Those funding the project include Southern California Gas Company, which gave $1.46 million through the California Public Utilities Commission’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which contributed an additional $357,000 through its Solar Incentive Program. Metro will recoup its $1.48 million investment in 7 to 10 years as a result of the reduced costs, the agency said.
