The $35 million solar panel project at Riverside City College is projected to have a positive long-term impact while proving to have a negative short-term impact.
Parking has been difficult throughout the first weeks of school. However, the new solar canopies will create a more sustainably powered campus and additional electric vehicle chargers.
“It’s a nightmare,” welding technology student Trenten Perkins says of trying to find parking this semester at RCC.
According to the RCC’s website, the solar canopies over parking Lot C will have the capacity to provide about 859 kilowatt-hours of solar energy while parking Lot E can provide over 1161 kW of solar energy. The project will also provide 30 dual or 60 electric vehicle charging units.
The Solar Project began construction at the end of the spring semester.
Lot E, the large lower parking lot between the Tech Buildings and City College Drive will be completed in sections. These sections will be fenced off one by one as the solar panel carports are completed. Parking Lot E is a major source of parking for students, so when approximately a quarter of the parking is unavailable the shortage carries a significant impact.
Lot C the upper parking lot between the Quadrangle and City College Drive is available again. Lot E, however, is projected to be under construction until Oct. 18.
Parking options outside of the impacted lot include the current multi-level parking structure with 1,194 spaces available, lot Q with 134 spaces available, and parking lot U with 171 spaces available. However, it’s important to note that in the 2022-2023 school year alone, Riverside City College boasted 15,792 full-time enrolled students.
RCC acknowledged the solar project would cause an inconvenience to students in an email sent out to students along with a notice on its website.
“It’s either waste a bunch of gas, get late to your class, or get here really early and I feel bad for people who have classes later in the day,” Perkins said.
Whether or not students at RCC struggle to find a spot to park, they are still expected to pay $30 for a fall parking permit.
“What’s the point of even having it,” Perkins asks. “One time it took an hour and 30 minutes just to find something.”
Some say the parking seems worse this semester.
“Last year the parking lots were kind of full but you could always find something,” Celeste Wong, a third-year student, said.
“With them doing the solar project, that took up the biggest portion of the parking so that made it so much worse,” she said. “I feel like they could have had it done before class started or at least provided some other parking places.”
According to one of RCC’s Parking Enforcement officers who asked not to be named, students have tried to get creative while trying to find parking this fall.
“By far, in my personal opinion, this is the worst,” they said. “I’ve seen students try to be creative. I’ve seen students and have ticketed students parking in handicaps with no placards, red curbs, and making stalls that don’t exist. They’ll go in the green for 30 minutes and then be there for two hours.”
While the officers don’t take it lightly when students park illegally in spots for people with disabilities, they are empathetic to students who are desperate to find a spot.
“Students need to get to class. That’s how they get their grades, their education, their degrees,” the officer said. “The handicap stall, everyone knows you can’t do that without a placard or blocking a disabled stall. Those, I’m like, there’s no excuse.” Both students and staff are appreciating the shade provided by the solar panels popping up around campus.
“Students aren’t allowed to park in staff parking, but staff is allowed to park in students’,” the Parking officer said. “I find that unfair because the solar panels are in the shade so now staff is taking up student stalls. Students have to struggle to find parking so they’ll end up parking in staff, which gets them a citation.” The Solar Project will provide an energy offset of 27% for the Riverside campus, and a 52% offset districtwide.
The school has asked for students’ understanding and patience as the project is underway.
Despite the temporary “nightmare” parking situation on campus, Perkins is optimistic.
“I’m a huge supporter of solar panels,” he says. “I think it’s important that we find alternatives to get energy. In the long run, it’s good.”
