February 2019: "Slugs Go Solar"

Beginning March 1, the campus’ long-planned solar panel installation will begin in the East Remote parking lot and is scheduled to continue through December, 2019.  During construction, parking availability in the East Remote parking lot will be directly affected. Daily and Quarterly R permit sales during the Spring quarter will be closely monitored and likely reduced.

Solar Power Installation - East Remote Parking Structure:

• A 2MW array producing 3 million  kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity, enough to power more than 330 houses for a year 
• The panels will last at least 20-years and save the campus an estimated $6 million on its energy bill
• UCSC plans to add an accompanying 1.2 megawatts (MW) battery storage which will reduce peak demand and shift load to times of day when electricity is less costly
• UCSC has an existing 250 kilowatt photovoltaic array on the McHenry Library, which provides 25 percent of the annual electrical energy needed for that build

“Slugs Go Solar” marks another step toward UCSC’s efforts to attain a sustainable carbon footprint by generating clean, reliable electricity for the campus. In an effort to minimize transportation- and parking-related impacts during this improvement project, TAPS will be working diligently to offer alternative options, especially for R permit holders. Projects of this magnitude require campus-wide collaboration and we are confident in our ability as Slugs to work together throughout the installation period, especially considering what we will all gain at the completion of the project.  

The work will be conducted in phases, each requiring closures of various amounts of parking spaces. Throughout the Spring Quarter, we anticipate approximately upwards of one-third of the parking in East Remote will be unavailable at any given time, and throughout the Summer Quarter approximately half of East Remote will be unavailable.  However, no construction will take place during Commencement and Move-In weekends in order to optimize East Remote during those events.

In addition, our campus will welcome hundreds of prospective students during the annual Spring Tours in April, which will further impact on-campus parking during that month.

Signs will be posted prior to, and during, each closure in specifically affected areas in the East Remote lot.  Special “Slugs Go Solar” messaging will be posted in shuttle buses and at shuttle stops to further increase awareness. Follow TAPS on Twitter for the most up to date information on this project and any related traffic updates.  Finally, the TAPS website will soon incorporate a special section where updated project status and other helpful information will be provided.

To proactively mitigate potential impacts, the following measures have already been undertaken:

• Approximately 200 Remote spaces were added just north of the East Remote lot, within Overflow 5.
• TAPS has expanded our daily parking lot surveys to identify additional parking efficiencies and availability.
• In anticipation of this project, TAPS reduced the available quantity of Academic and Annual R permits prior to Fall Quarter, 2018.

*** TAPS will be offering the following special options to current Annual, Academic or Quarterly R permit holders for Spring Quarter (Please note - Quarterly R permit holders who received their permit via an appeal must successfully renew their appeal before becoming eligible).

• Shared C Permits:  Effective immediately, current R permit holders may return, for a refund, their R permits and purchase a shared C permit.  Groups of 2-4 may qualify for this exchange for Spring Quarter. This offer is limited to the first 20 groups only. If interested, your group must visit the TAPS Sales Office together during business hours with your R permits and ID.
• Complimentary Zipcar Membership and Monthly Driving Credit:  Beginning March 4, students who are current R permit holders may return, for a refund, their R permits and receive a complimentary Zipcar Membership and $25 driving credit per month during the Spring Quarter. Memberships are limited, so if you’re interested, please email TAPS for more details.
• ...additional special options may be coming soon, so stay tuned!

TAPS always encourages the use of alternate transportation methods to avoid parking-related delays. This is the perfect time to take advantage of these great resources:

• Bikes: Click here for UCSC Bike Program services / safety information and click here for Santa Cruz JUMP bike information
• Vanpooling or Ridesharing: Click here for information about other UCSC Commute Options, including our Vanpool, Carpool and more.
• Santa Cruz Metro

We look forward to being a part of this campus-wide effort to bring efficient and positive solar energy to UCSC. We encourage the campus community to adjust commuting and / or parking routines in support of this exciting sustainability project. Your contribution to this goal will be an everyday effort and we appreciate and acknowledge your commitment to keeping UCSC one of the top sustainable campuses in the country. Thank you for your patience and cooperation, and please let us know if you require additional information.  

By: Dan Henderson, Interim Director of Transportation and Parking Services