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Arden Fair has seen the light.
The mall is embarking upon the largest commercial solar project in Sacramento County and possibly the largest in the state by a retailer.
The project is the culmination of two efforts in conjunction with Sacramento Municipal Utility District. In one, the Sacramento mall will line its roof with phable solar panels, a new technology that allows the panels to be rolled on like traditional roofing material.
In the other, the mall will build along busy Arden Way a 66-space carport with a roof covered by solar panels. The structure will be used for valet parking. Participants in SMUD's Greenergy program, which supports renewable energy suppliers, will get valet parking for free.
The mall roof panels and the carport will generate only a minimal amount of energy. Arden Fair is going solar, said general manager Chris Facas, to diversify its power source and to be a leader in the business community on the alternative energy front.
The carport solar program is especially high profile, given the structure's visibility along Arden Way.
"That is going to make a major statement for our community," Facas said.
"This is really a first-of-a-kind project for the retail sector," said Mike Burke, the former manager of the California Energy Commission's photovoltaic program and now a partner at TruePricing Inc., a firm that helps commercial users in California change the way they...