A solar panel array proposed by Occidental College that would cover a Northeast Los Angeles hillside was approved by Eagle Rock neighborhood council on Tuesday night.
The council board voted unanimously to approve the proposed 1-megawatt solar array project which could provide about 11 percent of the university's annual energy, according to a proposal by Oxy's director of communications Jim Tranquada.
According to Eagle Rock Patch:
the two-acre solar array project would be spread out and how its hillside footprint and design would be radically different from the controversial Broadview array in Montecito Heights. The sun’s glare reflected from the proposed Oxy solar panels would affect little more than a tiny minority of residents in Eagle Rock for a short period of time during the morning, Tranquada said.
Tranquada informed the council’s board that to help make solar power more affordable to community members, Occidental College has arranged for the manufacturer of the solar panels, SunPower, to offer a rebate on rooftop solar installations to homeowners and owners of small businesses in the 90041 (Eagle Rock), 90042 (largely Highland Park) and 90065 (mostly Mt. Washington) zip codes.
The array, which
had been opposed by a Montecito Heights fire marshal, could save Oxy $250,000 per year. Check out
this map of the proposed location for the solar array.