With support from SolarCity, Woodland Joint Unified School District (WJUSD) has implemented solar structures at 10 different sites throughout the district. CLTC supported the district's selection of energy-efficient adaptive lighting for the solar-paneled carports at four of the sites.
The carports feature induction luminaires from EverLast Lighting equipped with motion sensors that adapt light levels to real-time needs, providing full light output when occupants approach and reducing lighting power when areas are vacant. The lighting controls are expected to reduce lighting energy use up to 50 percent.
“The pairing of solar canopies with adaptive lighting is a design standard at UC Davis and, now, at Woodland Unified," says CLTC Director Michael Siminovitch. "Hopefully, going forward, this will become the standard in K–12 schools across California."
The adaptive lighting strategy applied in this project emerged from PIER-funded research and development conducted through CLTC, beginning in 2006. The solution was demonstrated, proven effective, and adopted by UC Davis in a campus-wide lighting retrofit for parking lots and garages. This work provided evidence in support of California's 2013 Title 24, Part 6 requirements for lighting controls in outdoor area lighting and lighting in parking garages.
The solar-paneled structures provide more than 2,100 kilowatts of solar generating capacity, enough to offset 68 percent of energy use at the 10 sites where solar panels were installed.
CLTC, Solar City and WJUSD celebrated the project's completion at a ribbon-cutting event held January 28 at Woodland High School.