Santa Clara County firefighters and public officials from throughout South County last week celebrated an upgraded solar energy system at a key local station that will save money and better equip the first responders when dealing with their own emergencies.
More than 80 people attended a July 10 ribbon cutting for the new solar and battery storage system at the Masten Fire Station, 10810 No Name Uno. The station is part of the South Santa Clara County Fire District and serves unincorporated areas in and around San Martin, and networks with other local fire departments for mutual aid and other assistance.
The solar energy project unveiled July 10 consists of 34 high-efficiency solar panels on the fire station’s rooftop, according to Michaela Pippin of Silicon Valley Clean Energy, which helped acquire the station’s new energy system. The system also includes smart-grid-capable inverters and two batteries for energy storage.
The new system, designed for energy resiliency, can keep the Masten Station operational for up to 10 hours in the event of a PG&E power outage. It also replaces two diesel generators on site, which have required steady staff hours for maintenance over the years.
The fire district expects to save thousands of dollars in energy costs every year with the energy generated by the solar panels at Masten Station.
“The South Santa Clara County Fire District is dependent on property tax for revenue which doesn’t increase enough annually. The savings of a solar system will allow us to replace broken and outdated firefighting equipment, which is a direct benefit to not only the community, but also the Cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill, which we assist both on emergency incidents,” SSCCFD Deputy Chief Chuck Caroll said.
The Masten Station solar energy project is also part of a wave of community buildings throughout the county that improved their energy resilience through solar and battery storage, Pippin said.
Other recent projects have been approved or completed at Sunnyvale City hall, Mountain View Senior Center and the City of Saratoga’s network of traffic lights.
The Masten Fire solar panels and batteries were funded in part by a $100,000 Resilience Grant from SVCE. The Santa Clara County Office of Sustainability and Resilience was instrumental in securing funding for the project.
“SVCE is proud to have worked with the Santa Clara County Office of Sustainability and Resilience to support the Masten Fire Station project,” said Monica Padilla, CEO of SVCE. “Our mission is to invest in our communities in ways that best serve their decarbonization and resiliency needs, and this solar and storage project is a perfect example of how clean electric technologies can support existing critical infrastructures in our community.”
