North Coast Health Center and Local Dignitaries Celebrate the Completion of Encinitas’ Largest Commercial Solar Installation
Mayor Catherine Blakespear, Encinitas City Council members, Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, CA Senator Bates office, and Congressman Darrell Issa’s office among those in attendance at the health center’s ribbon cutting ceremony
Encinitas, Calif.–January 27, 2017—Encinitas community leaders, local physicians, and local dignitaries came together this week to celebrate the largest commercial solar installation in all of Encinitas. North Coast Health Center’s 265 kilowatt (kW) roof-top installation is now operational, providing more than 452,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually to the facility. The installation is the largest commercial solar installation in great Encinitas, and provides over 75% percent of the facility’s common energy needs – saving North Coast Health Center $3.5 million in energy costs over the life of the system.
To signify the solar installation’s impact on the local community, North Coast Health Center and the City of Encinitas Chamber of Commerce celebrated the achievement with a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the health center on Wednesday. Many community leaders – including newly elected Mayor Catherine Blakespear who has expressed interest and support for environmentally-friendly initiatives in Encinitas – were in attendance for the ribbon cutting.
During the ceremony, representatives from Congressman Darrell Issa’s office and State Senator Patricia Bates’ office also presented Greg Petree, President of AmeriCare Medical Properties who owns North Coast Health Center, with awards of recognition and appreciation.
North Coast Health Center, located at 477 N El Camino Real, is the largest outpatient health center in North County San Diego and is well recognized by locals with its red brick exteriors. It is owned and operated by AmeriCare Medical Properties and is home to a variety of health care providers including, Scripps Coastal Medical Group, Imaging Healthcare Specialists, UC San Diego, and The Center for Surgery of Encinitas.
Many of the physicians who practice at North Coast Health Center were also in attendance as a show of support for the health center’s commitment to the environment.
“It’s nice to be in progressive complex not only with top tier physicians but also in one that prioritizes sustainable energy,” stated Srinivas S. Iyengar M.D., Cosmetic Eyelid Surgeon.
“Healing the human body should be in sync with healing our environment, so we are excited to see NCHC be a leader in providing green energy for medical care,” stated Arash Mozayan, M.D., Vitreoretinal Surgeon.
The solar installation is just one part of AmeriCare’s $1 million investment in environmentally-friendly and energy efficient improvements. Other upgrades that have taken place over the year include: Reflective cool roofs, LED building & tenant light replacement, LED parking lot light upgrade, Variable Frequency Drives in our cooling yards, and Campus-wide modern window tinting.
Based on EPA estimates, this new 265 kW system will offset the environmental equivalent of removing 36,000 gallons of gasoline consumed annually or 338,000 lbs. of coal burned annually.
As the largest roof-top solar projects for a business in the Encinitas area, North Coast is leading the way for renewable energy adoption by other local businesses. “We are beginning to work in partnership with the City of Encinitas in an effort to further espouse the numerous advantages of installing solar to other local commercial property owners,” said Petree. “Less than one percent of commercial buildings in Encinitas currently have solar generating capacity installed. Our hope is that this recently completed project will encourage other commercial owners to follow suit.”