February 4, 2010
Santa Barbara Car Rental Facility Generates 75% of Own Energy
A 159 kilowatt solar array at the Santa Barbara, Calif., airport’s rental car facility generates more than three-quarters of energy used on-site.
The facility, which has 816 solar panels, includes other energy saving features, reports EdHat.
The building also has a water-efficient design, reports The Daily Sound.
Taken into account together, the renewable energy and efficiency features result in a 97 percent energy cost savings compared to traditional construction.
The site was built to LEED Gold standards, and over 95 percent of construction waste was recycled or reused, according to a press release.
Solar panels are located atop parking structures (see image, taken during construction).
The facility cost $6.3 million and was paid for by a customer facility charge user fee program, in which rental car customers pay up to $10 per contract.
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Reader Comments
This facility happens to be right next door to our office! Hopefully soon we can learn more about the facility and shoot some video. It’s great to see most of their demand being met by a renewable energy source.
Mitchell Funk | February 5th, 2010
Wow, this is very productive, I wish most of the businesses think about saving and improving the energy consumption
san diego car rental | February 18th, 2010
The facility cost $6.3 million and was paid for by a customer facility charge user fee program, in which rental car customers pay up to $10 per contract? It’s a good bussiness!
Car rent | March 30th, 2010