FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021
Power Up on Solar Power, Santa Clara
New EV ARC™ solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations now available for City fleet vehicles and free public use
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – On Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, the City of Santa Clara’s municipal electric utility, Silicon Valley Power, successfully deployed two new solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with three charging ports at each station. One station is located at Silicon Valley Power headquarters for charging City fleet vehicles, and the other station is located at Everett N. “Eddie” Souza Park for free public use. These EV charging stations are the first solar-powered chargers in Santa Clara and build on the City’s commitment to sustainability and building clean EV charging infrastructure.
The new charging stations allow EV drivers to charge their vehicles for free using solar power. These chargers are powered by a solar photovoltaic (PV) system with a battery backup and are not connected to the electric grid. They include an emergency power panel for first responders, required no construction, no disruption to City operations and provide a secure source of EV charging in the event of utility grid interruptions.
This project is funded by Silicon Valley Power’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Credit Program from the California Air Resources Board funding, specifically set aside to promote electrification of transportation.
“As we continue our commitment to sustainability and powering up our community, we are excited to add even more affordable and energy-efficient options to our EV infrastructure,” said Manuel Pineda, Assistant City Manager and Chief Electric Utility Officer. “This is just the beginning of what’s coming to the EV industry for Santa Clara.”
Additional public charging stations continue to be installed and activated throughout the City. Visit SiliconValleyPower.com/EV for a list of locations.
About the City of Santa Clara
Located at the heart of Silicon Valley about 45 miles south of San Francisco, the City of Santa Clara truly is “The Center of What’s Possible.” Incorporated in 1852, Santa Clara covers an area of 19.3 square miles with a population of 120,000. Santa Clara is home to an extraordinary array of high-tech companies, including Applied Materials, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Nvidia, Oracle, and Ericsson. The City of Santa Clara is also home to Santa Clara University, California’s Great America Theme Park, and Levi’s® Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50. For more information, go to www.SantaClaraCA.gov.
About Silicon Valley Power
Silicon Valley Power (SVP) is the trademark adopted for use by the not-for-profit electric municipal utility of Santa Clara, CA, serving residents and businesses for over 120 years. SVP provides power to nearly 55,000 customers, at rates 25 to 48 percent below neighboring communities. SVP is the only full service, vertically integrated publicly owned utility in Silicon Valley owning generation, transmission and distribution assets. See more at: www.siliconvalleypower.com.
