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Calif.'s First All Solar-Powered Apartment Complex Opens in Poway

San Diego County is home to the state's first all-solar-powered apartment community. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce tells us the development was designed to be totally "green" from the inside out.

Calif.'s First All Solar-Powered Apartment Complex Opens in Poway

San Diego County is home to the state's first all-solar-powered apartment community.  KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce tells us the development was designed to be totally "green" from the inside out. The affordable housing complex is called SOLARA . It was built in a rundown area of Poway. SOLARA's rooftop photovoltaic solar arrays produce enough energy to power the entire 56-unit residential complex. Some days it provides surplus electricity to feed the region's power grid too. Community HousingWorks , a San Diego non-profit, is the developer and owner of the project.  Mary Jane Jagodzinski is the project manager for SOLARA.

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Jagodzinski: Our carbon footprint has been reduced by about 95% compared to a similarly sized complex. And that's equivalent to planting over 300 trees a year or taking almost 5500 cars off the road each year.

The project uses energy efficient materials and appliances, water conservation techniques and recycled materials throughout the building. SOLARA is the first project completed under the California Energy Commission's Zero Energy New Homes program. Community Housing's Anne Wilson says if a non-profit can go all solar, commercial projects can too.

Wilson: A lot of other developers should be doing this. If we could do it and we're building affordable housing and we get by on much more of a shoestring budget then they have and their profits, they should be able to be doing this for long-term sustainability for Southern California's energy needs.

Federal rebates and state tax incentives for using renewable energy helped pay for the $16-million project. Officials say the development is a model for future projects using solar technology. Ed Joyce, KPBS News.

(Photo: SOLARA solar-powered apartments in Poway. Community HousingWorks )