Image Credit: Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale/Flickr
The Scottsdale Unified School District is going to put Arizona’s most available natural resource – the sun – to work by installing solar power systems at 11 of their district schools. Solar energy company SunPower is installing arrays capable of generating 5.5 megawatts of power, estimated to be enough to save the school district $25 million on their electricity costs over the next 25 years.
High-efficiency solar panels will be installed on rooftops, parking garages, and shade structures throughout the 33 school district, and the EPA estimates that the entire system will offset 176,900 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 30 years. Arizona’s utility company APS, one of the top solar utilities in the country, will help the school offset the cost of the installation by offering incentives worth up to 40% of the total cost, and taxpayers approved financing for the project through Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCBs) measures. It is expected to be operational sometime in September.
Saying that the project will let the district reduce electricity costs and “recover valuable funds needed for our academic programs and to pay for upgrades,” Superintendent Dr. David J. Peterson is definitely on to something. Schools are starting to see the benefit to going with alternative energy, as it not only reduces the size of their carbon footprint but it also saves them some money that can then be used for school repairs and teacher pay. Recently the Mount Diablo Unified School District in California also partnered with SunPower to take their campuses solar and are installing 51 solar power systems throughout the district to save them $220 million in energy costs over the next 30 years. The initial savings has made it possible for them to avoid cutting classes or laying off teachers.
[via SunPower]