To that end, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors is spending $3 million to fund one of the nation's largest rooftop solar paneling projects. The roof covers the Santa Rita County Jail. Other sources of funding will be a $650,000 grant and $1 million loan, both from state coffers.

The panels are designed to harness the sun's power while insulating the building, effectively creating natural energy while preserving it within the facility. The completed project is expected to power the entire 3,600-inmate facility. The board estimates total savings just shy of $6 million from the project, which is being built by Berkeley, CA-based PowerLight Corp.

The decade-old company offers photovoltaic products and services to the commercial market and touts itself as the nation's largest supplier of solar rooftop paneling to the commercial real estate market. Its other major clients include the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows in Hawaii, the Edmonton Power Corp. (EPCOR) in Edmonton, Canada, the New York Power Authority in Tuckahoe, and the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The company also last month announced a business alliance with natural-energy provider Green Mountain Energy, but it is not certain if the company will be involved with the Santa Rita work. An estimated start date has not yet been announced.