In the wake of environmental disasters such as the Gulf oil spill, the need to switch to alternative fuels is becoming increasingly pertinent to the future of our planet. Not only is our air continuing to fill with harmful emissions and greenhouse gases, but now our waters are becoming unsafe as well. If there was ever a sign that a different route in supplying energy must be taken, the state of the environment today is it. And where is a better place to teach the importance of alternative energy than in schools?
Schools have high energy demands:
Among the main contributors to harmful emissions are automobiles and large buildings. Research has shown that supplying energy to buildings accounts for 40 percent of U.S. energy use and 40 percent of harmful atmospheric emissions. Schools, in particular, have especially high energy demands due to their heating and lighting usage as well as the powering of equipment such as computers. Retrofitting schools as an opportunity for communities to cut emissions is a quick step in the right direction toward energy efficiency for many cities around the country. “Installing a typical 300 kW system can reduce a city’s carbon footprint by almost 300,000 pounds of Carbon Dioxide emissions each year,” says Elliot Isban, CEO of American Solar & Alternative Power (ASAP), an energy conservation firm based in Stamford, CT. “This is equivalent to planting almost 40 acres of trees each year.” ASAP recently completed the implementation of a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) rooftop solar system at Glenville Elementary School in Greenwich, CT, utilizing Solyndra’s leading edge solar panels. ASAP is currently working with other Connecticut school systems as well.
Good match for retrofitting:
Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems are great alternative energy systems for schools. Most schools have flat roofs with a large surface area, which make a perfect canvas for a rooftop solar system. Solar systems are also very reliable. Grid-tied systems can sell excess energy that is harvested, but not used, to the utility grid. Similarly, the facility can import electricity from the grid at times like night, when the school needs more electricity than is being obtained on site. This feature insures power at all times.
Also, the installation of a solar system is minimally invasive. This is important because schools cannot afford to be disturbed by intrusive renovations during the school day. Other than the cost savings and decrease of emissions, few students or faculty will even know that an installation is taking place.
Another major factor that makes a school an excellent place to install a solar system is that schools may qualify for financial incentives that other commercial entities do not. Schools are always trying to make cuts in the budget and work out ways to distribute their finances effectively, and solar systems can greatly contribute to this task by significantly reducing energy costs and operating expenses.
Obstacles: funding, fragmented decision process:
Some school systems are apprehensive in installing solar systems due to the high cost of implementation. The initial cost is steep, but it is a one-time expenditure, which then becomes an appreciating asset. Essentially, to pay for a solar system, which is an on-site generating system, you are paying upfront to obtain free energy from the sun for the next 25 years (a solar system’s expected lifetime).
Even though the paybacks flow quickly after implementation of a solar system, the upfront funds must still be raised. This point can prove to be something of an obstacle for most projects. Schools must get state approval for their projects before they receive a grant or incentive. Some of the state funding may then come from federal funds, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus Package), which requires specific standards for projects to qualify. This decision process can be lengthy and fragmented and for some school boards, very frustrating. However, this process is becoming easier with each system that is installed. Funds are being approved more rapidly and Solar Integrators are stepping in as a middleman in order to make it easy for school decision makers to assist in the finances.
“A good Solar Integrator can simplify the whole process. It is important to present the financial information in a way that is easy for clients to understand, and to find the best financial structures to minimize costs,” says Isban. “There are a lot of incentives and grant programs out there, but you have to know how to obtain them. And in this case, experience counts.”
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, for example, seeks to facilitate the design, construction, and operation of high performance schools through the High Performance Schools Program. This program provides assistance in the earliest stages of a school’s decision process as well as the provision of an energy engineering firm, financial assistance to reduce capital costs, reimbursement grants, and other incentives.
Great educational value:
The educational value that will come from installing solar systems in schools can hardly be ignored. In an age where we are desperately trying to urge people and communities to use clean technology, we must look to the younger generation, to the students. It is with the youth that the future resides, and it is incredibly important that we instill the value of a clean environment in them early on.
Schools can use the solar power systems as models for experiments. They can derive power from these systems to conduct laboratory procedures, and they can monitor the energy savings via a Data Acquisition System (DAS) that constantly tracks how much energy is being generated and used.
Students will learn first-hand the possibilities of obtaining solar energy and the usefulness of alternative clean resources. As Elliot Isban says, “A hands-on system will instill interest in the students in green technology and hopefully inspire them to continue with a job in this field in the future.”
