California’s Green Prisons
Two California desert prisons are corralling more than just prisoners. They’re harnessing solar energy to power everything from washing machines to lethal high-voltage perimeter fences.
The state is among those with mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the prison solar system efforts underscore its position as a national leader in renewable energy efforts … The state plans to install photovoltaic solar power systems that convert sunlight to electricity in at least six more prisons. At peak production levels, the prisons can get a quarter of their energy from the solar setups. State officials expect to save $100,000 in energy costs per year, per prison …
The prisons, Ironwood and Chuckawalla Valley, are located next to each other, about 90 miles east of Palm Springs in the Mojave Desert, in the southern half of the state … Ironwood State Prison incarcerates some 4,700 male felons. Chuckawalla Valley State Prison houses another 3,900. The prisons’ populations range from minimum to medium security. Each facility has about 1,000 people on staff … They’re ideal locations for solar installations, according to Paul Verke, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or CDCR. “We have space in terms of land, and access to facilities and security,” said Verke. “The operation of a solar power plant works well with the layout.”
The full detailed story can be found at Investors.com.