Buck Institute Cottonwood Solar

CEI partnered with EDF Renewable Energy to design and build a 1-megawatt (MW) fixed-tilt, solar photovoltaic (PV) carport canopy at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. The project was part of a larger 32.6-MW solar project portfolio owned by Dominion Energy Solutions. At the time, it was the largest solar PV system built to date in Marin County, California. The Buck Institute system will generate power for conscientious customers of Marin Clean Energy (MCE).

The Buck Institute is the nation’s first independent research facility focused solely on understanding the connection between aging and chronic disease. Its mission is to increase the number of healthy years of human life. The solar canopies provide shelter to the Institute’s many research-based employees by covering 252 parking spaces, while generating enough energy to offset nearly 1.1 metric tons of carbon emissions during the lifetime of the system. Because of its size, the solar project will generate enough renewable energy to power 300 homes per year and save the Buck Institute roughly $300,000 per year in operating costs.