May 13, 2008

A renovated, expanded parking lot with covered spaces that are part of a solar power project will open Monday, Oct. 1, at California State University, Fresno.

Parking Lot V, which is west of the Save Mart Center, will open with 717 stalls designated as general/student parking. Additionally, 43 stalls are designated as 10-hour metered parking.

The three northern-most covered structures on Lot V are designated as premium reserved parking, a new category on the Fresno State campus. Premium parking stalls are reserved exclusively for faculty or staff members who purchase a special permit for $50 per month. (Regular faculty-staff parking permits are $9-$15 per month.)

The renovated lot has 10 vehicle shelters topped by photovoltaic panels that will convert the sun’s energy into 1 megawatt of electricity, which will be returned to the campus power grid. That will generate 20 percent of the university’s power needs.

The photovoltaic project, a partnership with Chevron Energy Solutions (NYSE: CVX) is the largest of its kind on a university campus in the United States.

For more information, contact Amy Armstrong at 559.278.6709.