Aerial view of the roof installation in progress at 7001 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA.
In June 2016, the U.S. Postal Service® announced the expansion of alternative energy initiatives through the installation of solar roof panels at a mail processing center in Los Angeles, CA. In July 2016, Hecate Energy Central Avenue, LLC, began installing a solar power generation system made of nearly 35,000 solar panels on the rooftop of the Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center. This Postal Service™ facility is now the largest building in the city to generate electricity through solar energy.
“The solar power generation system will allow the Postal Service to meet its daylight energy consumption needs while generating revenue from excess production that will be sent to the electric grid for use by others,” said Tom Samra, vice president of Facilities for the U.S. Postal Service. “This effort provides financial benefits to the Postal Service while helping the environment at the same time.”
The solar power project includes the installation of an 11 Megawatt (MW) solar panel system on the roof of the facility and a carport canopy in the existing parking lot. 10 MW will power the local utility grid, and 1 MW will power the actual postal facility. This system presents the highest installed capacity in a single project in the Los Angeles area, which is almost 85% larger than the next largest installation. The project has an anticipated completion date of May 2017.
According to figures provided by the local utility, the solar panels will save an estimated 18.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year — the equivalent emissions of about 2,015 cars. The electricity generated will power an estimated 2,420 U.S. homes annually.
— Facilities, 4-13-17
