Cupertino Electric installs 1.2MW PV system for Californian school district

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Cupertino Electric’s Energy Alternatives Division has completed a 1.2MW PV system on property owned by the Golden Valley Unified School District in Madera, California.

Designed and built by Cupertino Electric, the 1.2MW system was installed on canopies and nearby land owned by the district between February and June 2012. The installation used almost 4,000 PV modules, the majority of which were mounted on unused district property. The remaining modules were installed on canopies.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The PV system is estimated to produce 1.7 million kWh of electricity every year which will help to offset more than 80% of the district’s annual electricity costs.

“As school budgets continue to be razor thin, we are overjoyed to have a solar system up and running to offset our electricity costs at Golden Valley,” said Andy Alvarado, Superintendent of Golden Valley Unified School District. “Our annual cost of electricity will be no greater than what we paid in the last year before we converted to solar, thanks to Cupertino Electric and project manager TerraVerde Renewable Partners.”
 

Read Next

October 30, 2026
Norwegian independent power producer (IPP) Scatec has been impacted by an impairment loss from its solar PV plants and intangible assets in Ukraine and Pakistan during its third quarter results for 2026.
Premium
October 30, 2026
Renewabl's JP Cerda speaks to PV Tech Premium about changing corporate procurement strategies and the impact of negative electricity prices.
October 30, 2026
The 200MW FPV project in Malaysia will be one of the largest floating solar developments in Southeast Asia, built using Masdar's experience from 145MW Cirata plant in Indonesia.
October 30, 2026
US solar manufacturer First Solar reported net sales of US$1.23 billion for the third quarter of 2026, down 23% year-on-year.
Premium
October 30, 2026
Ahead of PV ModuleTech Europe, Veronica Bermúdez Benito talks with PV Tech Premium about capex, common PV procurement mistakes and the importance of opex for LCOE.
October 30, 2026
US CBP has released solar cell shipments from Japanese manufacturer TOYO’s Ethiopian facility after reviewing its supply chain documentation.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
February 2, 2027
London, UK
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye