Big Pine Unified School District and SolarCity Project Preserves Historic High School Building

Big Pine Unified School District and SolarCity Project Preserves Historic High School Building

District Expects to Contribute Thousands of Dollars in Monthly Solar Savings to New Preservation Fund

BIG PINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- To preserve "the heart" of its community, Big Pine Unified School District will create a fund to maintain the district's nearly 100-year-old Big Pine High School building with savings from SolarCity's installation of more than 800 solar panels on the district's new parking lot shade structures.

School officials will hold a ribbon cutting at 10:15am on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Big Pine High School Gymnasium to celebrate completion of the project, totaling 198 kilowatts.

"Big Pine High School is the most prominent building in the town of Big Pine, and we are all very proud of it," said District Superintendent Pamela Jones. "Going solar is a sound financial and environmental decision, but it's also helping us preserve Big Pine's history."

The district expects to save up to $4,000 each month with the solar installation, which will provide about 80 percent of its electricity needs with clean, renewable energy. Without having to dip into its general fund, the district funded the project with a federal Clean Renewable Energy Bond and a local general obligation bond. It expects to receive a rebate from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to cover half the project's construction costs.

SolarCity (NAS: SCTY) , a national leader in clean energy services, has completed or undertaken more than 300 solar projects for schools, community colleges and universities across the country, and now has more than 2,700 employees.

"We're gratified to help Big Pine Unified School District preserve such an important community landmark while protecting the environment and conserving limited budget dollars," said Dennis Cox, SolarCity's regional vice president in Central California. "Theirs is one of the most creative uses of solar savings that we have seen to date."

About SolarCity:

SolarCity® (NAS: SCTY) provides clean energy. The company has disrupted the century-old energy industry by providing renewable electricity directly to homeowners, businesses and government organizations for less than they spend on utility bills. SolarCity gives customers control of their energy costs to protect them from rising rates. The company offers solar power, energy efficiency and electric vehicle services, and makes clean energy easy by taking care of everything from design and permitting to monitoring and maintenance. SolarCity currently serves 14 states and signs a new customer every five minutes. Visit the company online at www.solarcity.com and follow the company on Facebook & Twitter.

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