Reported b y Staff

Denver — The Denver Public School Board has approved plans for the development of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy projects on 16 school buildings throughout the school district.

The projects are the result of more than two years of planning and coordination by Denver-based renewable energy developer Oak Leaf Energy Partners with the School District and the Denver Green Print Council. The projects will be owned and operated by San Francisco-based MP2 Capital, which will sell the electricity produced to the district under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

Boulder-based Namasté Solar will design and build what will be the largest solar project for schools in Colorado.

The PV systems will be completed on several sites throughout the district, with locations selected because of solar and roof qualities of the schools. In total, they will generate roughly 1.8 megawatts (MW) of capacity and generate approximately 44 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean solar electricity over the course of the 20-year PPA. The systems are expected be completed by November, with the first project coming on-line in March 2011.

Interestingly, the solar initiative also include an extensive educational curriculum for the host schools. Created by Namasté Solar, and taught by local teachers, the program will concentrate on the science and economics of photovoltaic energy generation.

“This initiative is an exciting milestone for the district and we look forward to working with Oak Leaf Energy Partners, Namasté Solar, and MP2 Capital,” said DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg. “We are very excited about the sustainability impact, energy savings and educational benefits generated by this program.”

“Projects that deliver solar electricity to schools represent some of the most rewarding projects that we do,” said Mark Lerdal, chief executive officer of MP2 Capital. “It is pretty special to have an opportunity to improve the environment, lower the electricity bill for the school district and provide a positive influence for children.”

The host schools are:

•Martin Luther King Middle School
•Place Middle School
•Montbello High School
•Manual High School
•Rachel B. Noel Middle School
•Green Valley Ranch Elementary School
•Greenwood Elementary School
•Thomas Jefferson High School
•Waller Elementary School
•East High School
•Grant Ranch Elementary School
•Lowry Elementary School
•Bruce Randolph Middle School
•South High School
•Fallis Elementary School
•Green Valley Ranch High School

About MP2 Capital

MP2 Capital, LLC develops, finances and invests in distributed generation and small-scale utility solar projects throughout North America. The firm was founded in 2006 in response to the growing demand for clean, renewable sources of energy. MP2 Capital sells the electricity produced by its’ projects to commercial, government and utility customers under Power Purchase Agreements and Feed-in Tariffs, providing customers with reliable and cost-efficient electricity without any up-front costs or ongoing operating expenses. The firm is based in San Francisco, California. www.mp2capital.com

About Oak Leaf Energy Partners

Oak Leaf Energy Partners is a renewable energy development firm that assists utilities and municipalities in meeting their compliance goals. Since its founding in 2005, Oak Leaf has emerged as one of the largest and most active renewable energy developers in the Rocky Mountain West and is currently developing projects in Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Hawaii. www.oakleafep.com

For Further Information
•http://www.mp2capital.com
•http://www.oakleafep.com
The information on this page was created and posted by the company identified above. RenewableEnergyWorld.com does not endorse, edit, or substantiate this information and assumes no obligation for this content’s accuracy.

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