PV on schools is such a no-brainer. Most K-12 schools are in use during daylight hours only. What perfect timing! Schools also act as emergency shelters. An energy system independent from utility power and vulnerable electric lines can keep emergency operations functioning. Middleton High School gets an A plus for their 10.5 KW installation with battery backup. Read more…
-Sam Kendall
October 1, 2007 at 11:53 am
I believe PV on schools is a no brainer, too! Schools are buildings that don’t change hands like houses - they will be around for many many years. Teaching children about solar energy first hand is ideal - these are the little minds that will be shaping the future after we are all gone! BUT who will pay for it? The Sunsmart Schools program is not a program that’s continually funded, and it is a competitive program - i.e. not everyone who applies will get solar panels on their school’s rooftop!
Progress Energy, in August, announced their Solarwise for Schools program. As a home-owner, you sign up for the Energywise program. This means that the people from Progress Energy come to your home and install a box in your garage, which is connected to your AC/Heater. You are basically giving Progress Energy the permission to tunr off your AC or Heater at times when the Power Company might be close to a brown-out. I’ve been told that it’s usually not more than 15 minutes at a time, and not more than 7 times a year… hardly noticeable. You get credit for signing up for the program. These credits can be donated to the Solarwise program which usues the money saved on purchasing solar panels for schools.
It’s an interesting concept… I don’t know how many people have signed up for it, but I am planning on doing so.
I wonder, are other power companies working on solar for schools independently from the Sunsmart program?
Thanks for posting on your blog!
Kathleen Cavanagh
Orlando
(and no, I don’t work for Progress Energy!! But I am trying to have solar installed on our local elementary school! )
November 4, 2007 at 11:13 am
Something I find slightly comical is how so many people will say that it isn’t worth it to add
solar energy to your home because it takes too long for the system to “pay itself off”. If you
save up the money and have a system installed you suddenly have a tiny utility bill, if any
bill at all. To me it’s a simple cash-flow equation.
November 29, 2007 at 10:46 am
Well, if you don’t plan on staying in your house for a very long time, and you invest the money in a solar rooftop - how do you know if this will help or hinder trying to sell your house? Some people don’t want to pay more for solar (a 2K system costs $20K… rule of thumb is $10/Watt at current rates). For money-strapped families, it would be hard to pay the upfront cost of a PV system on a house. Solar thermal is a lower cost alternative ($4K to $6K, I think).
By the way, since I last wrote, Progress Energy has announced that they will install a 2K system at the school my kids attend. They also have mentioned that they want to install PV systems on ALL the schools they service within 8 years. I think that’s GREAT!
Kathleen Cavanagh
November 29, 2007 at 10:46 am
Let me restate - I think Progress said they want to install PV systems on ALL schools they service in Florida.
KC