To help Big Blue Bus achieve its sustainability goals, Martifer Solar installed 528 solar panels on the roof of their new 66,000 square foot maintenance facility located in Santa Monica. Working with the architects HOK and Morley Construction Company, Martifer Solar custom-tailored the panels to fit into the design of the building, which serves as headquarters, docking station and maintenance facility for a fleet of 240 buses. The solar panels have already produced over 32,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity since their installation, while offsetting the building’s carbon emissions by more than 40,833 pounds. According to Martifer Solar Development Manager Wade Webb, “In the end, we anticipate the panels may reduce the building’s energy costs by up to 15 percent a year.”

Ralph Merced, transit maintenance manager for Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus said he and his staff were very pleased with their association with Martifer Solar throughout the construction process, especially with regards to the rebate application process; “Not all companies are this helpful, and we really appreciated their assistance with all the paperwork required for such a large scale project.”

System Size: 95 kW (DC)

Completion Date: August 2009