Solar panels are now providing shade for the goats and power for the shelter at the County of Santa Clara Animal Services Center. The addition is part of the recent upgrades that the County Facilities and Fleet Department made, as reported by Santa Clara County News. These include three solar installations from last year aimed to boost solar power capacity and battery storage across various County facilities.
Committed towards carbon neutrality by 2030, the County sees these solar projects as key steps. Given the fall completion, they are expected to churn out significant savings over the next two decades, thus aligning with the sustainability strategy of the County. Generating energy and simultaneously providing comfort, the panels installed behind the Animal Service Center's facility not only act as a power source but also as shade and shelter for resident goats and other adoptable large animals, according to Jeff Draper, the department's director, as per the Santa Clara County News.
At the same time, these improvements are also part of the County's resilience measures against climate change challenges. Besides generating nearly 1 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year with a 627-kilowatt setup, the panels are also part of the County's emergency response infrastructure, adding temporary shelter spaces for large animals during events like wildfires or earthquakes.
