A 1.8-megawatt (MW) college rooftop photo voltaic array, the most important in Virginia, is now on-line – and the US must do an entire lot extra of this.
College rooftop photo voltaic in Virginia
Stafford County Public Colleges partnered with New York-based Madison Power Infrastructure (MEI) to put in the rooftop photo voltaic array at North Stafford Excessive College. It’s made up of three,300 photo voltaic panels, and it’s going to avoid wasting the varsity system an estimated $2.8 million in electrical payments over the subsequent 25 years. The rooftop can even generate 54 million kilowatt hours of fresh power and offset 41,583 tons of CO2.
Set up of this mission in Stafford County, 40 miles south of Washington, D.C., started in February of this 12 months, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was yesterday.
College students will study photo voltaic utilizing MEI’s Photo voltaic Empowered Colleges curriculum, which integrates real-time knowledge from the photo voltaic panels into power and science classes. College students have already began utilizing MEI’s solar-empowered college modules and VR instructional excursions of the rooftop.
“This rooftop photo voltaic array represents a major milestone for our college division,” stated Maureen Siegmund, Stafford college board chair. “We’re proud to be part of this power and price financial savings mission whereas additionally offering our college students with real-world instructional alternatives to interact on this discipline at North Stafford Excessive College.”
In line with a Generation180 research about solar energy on US Okay-12 faculties launched final month, Virginia ranks No 9 amongst states for cumulative capability of rooftop photo voltaic on faculties. It has 180 arrays with a complete photo voltaic capability of 55,423 kW. The research discovered that 1 in 9 US college students now attend a solar-powered college and that greater than 800 Okay-12 faculties added new photo voltaic arrays in 2022-2023.
Electrek’s Take
Like warehouses and field shops, photo voltaic on sprawling, flat college roofs is an absolute no-brainer. It saves a ton of cash for faculties, that are at all times on tight budgets and reduces emissions general.
The Generation180 research says that 80% of cumulative photo voltaic capability put in at Okay-12 faculties is primarily funded by third-party possession fashions reminiscent of energy buy agreements and leases (the opposite 20% is direct possession).
The research states, “Efficient third-party possession agreements take away the barrier of upfront capital prices, stabilize long-term electrical energy costs, and generate speedy power invoice saving.”
There isn’t any motive that college rooftop photo voltaic shouldn’t be rolled out as rapidly as potential in all states, as a result of everybody wins.
Learn extra: Rooftop photo voltaic is put in on West Virginia public faculties – why that’s a giant deal
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