Solar-covered parking generates energy, rewards public transit riders
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| Photovoltaic panels cover parking spaces at La Sierra train station, providing renewable energy for the municipal utility and protection from the sun for commuters' cars. (photo courtesy of Riverside Public Utilities) |
Cars and sunshine seem to occupy opposite ends of the environmental spectrum—except in Riverside, Calif., where public utility and public transit combined forces to create a parking lot that generates renewable energy while encouraging drivers to take the train to work.
Riverside Public Utilities and the Riverside County Transportation Commission recently completed a project that added 140 new shaded parking spaces to RCTC's La Sierra Train Station. In a town where summer temperatures frequently top 100 degrees, covered parking might well persuade the undecided commuter to opt for public transit. When the parking spaces are covered by 1,766 photovoltaic panels generating enough electricity to power more than 100 homes, riders can feel doubly good about their choice.
Highly visible location encourages renewable energy inquiries
The parking structure sits near a freeway and an overpass, too, "so it might make drivers think twice," joked David Wright, RPU deputy director.
On a serious note, he added, "Anything that stimulates people to get out of their cars will have long-term benefits for the community and the environment. It's also a nice bonus for riders who are using Metrolink, because they're already thinking about the environment."
RPU selected the high-profile location with the specific goal of making people think. "Our first solar-covered parking lot was 150 spaces at RPU's utility operations center," said Wright. "It was so well-received, we wanted to do another in a more visible place."
What better place than one of the nation's fastest growing commuter rail lines? Thousands of Riverside residents catch Metrolink trains daily from the La Sierra Station to their jobs in Orange County and Los Angeles. Those people will now be looking at the solar panels every day and, Wright hopes, wanting to learn more about renewable energy.
RCTC was already planning to add parking spaces to its overwhelmed 348-space lot when RPU opened negotiations to build the solar array. "They were very supportive of the project from the start," Wright recalled.
Choice of project benefits all ratepayers
Revenues from California's public benefits charge financed the installation of the solar parking garage. Municipal utilities may determine how to spend the monies, providing projects meet certain criteria. Those include helping low-income customers, increasing efficiency or the use of renewable energy or educating consumers about conservation and renewable energy.
Wright sees education as being the biggest benefit of the solar parking lot. However, the project fulfills another criteria by generating 133 kW of electricity that RCTC uses to run elevators, lighting and ticket machines. The remaining power goes into RPU's general mix.
Partnering with another government entity smoothed the way for the project, Wright noted. "Because a municipal agency uses the power from the array, the people who paid for the installation—the residents of Riverside—are the ones who benefit from it."
Solar-covered parking has proven so popular that RPU applied for matching state funds to place PV panels atop an additional 450 parking spaces RCTC has slated for construction next year. "They need the extra parking, and we can always use more renewable energy in our portfolio," Wright said.
He admitted that his dream is to see all the parking at La Sierra Station covered with solar arrays. "It's great for the commuters and good for the environment."
And it makes unlikely allies out of two commodities that will never be in short supply in Southern California—cars and sunshine.
