The system, which was designed and installed by Vista Solar, is expected to offset WestGate's electricity bill by nearly 95 percent, and generate more than 250,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year, the equivalent of powering 24 homes.
Vista Solar secured a $0-down, 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) which allowed WestGate to be cash-flow positive from the start and is expected to save the church nearly $16,000 annually.
"Solar was a smart move for us financially, a no-brainer," said Executive Pastor Dan Perkins of WestGate. "The savings we are realizing provides another way for us to help tip the scales toward generosity as we increase our bottom line."
With more than 2,500 congregation members at two South Bay area locations, savings generated by the high efficiency SunPower solar system will help WestGate continue to run its annual "local compassion" programs and pursue its goal to give away 50 percent of the church's budget, according to Perkins.
As part of the PPA agreement, Vista Solar will monitor the system for 15 years to ensure it is performing at or above expectations. Since the system sits on two pitched rooftops at the church's San Jose facility, Vista Solar is using state-of-the-art online monitoring software which enables detailed visibility of both arrays from one platform, and provides system performance alerts.
"Vista Solar was an excellent partner," Perkins said. "We were extremely impressed with their professionalism and efficiency. I would highly recommend them to anyone considering solar."
The solar energy components for this system included SunPower X-Series solar panels delivering efficiencies of 21.5 percent, SMA Tri-Power inverters, Locus monitoring software, and a ProSolar racking solution.
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