An Indiana school district recently announced a partnership to bring renewable energy to the school district in the form of ground mount solar farms. Two solar arrays comprised of 4,800 panels will power three of the district’s schools. Hamilton Southeastern Schools partnered with Ameresco for the two solar wagons and programming to incorporate sustainability education into its curriculum.
With construction already underway, Hamilton Southeastern Schools will finance this project with bond fees and operational cost savings generated from the solar arrays. Already the project has generated funds for the construction of a playground at the Riverside Intermediate School and is projected to generate additional funds to build two more in the district.
The solar panels at Sand Creek Elementary and Intermediate Schools have a projected annual output of 1,492,919 kWh and those at HSE Intermediate and Junior High with another 892,681 kWh. Combined, the arrays will help avoid 1,687 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Just last month in California, Pleasanton Unified School District signed a 25-year power purchase agreement financed by Duke Energy Renewables for REC Solar onsite solar plus storage. The investment in solar carports and battery energy storage at one high school is projected to save the district more than $2.2 million over the lifetime of the PPA.
Located about 40 miles east of San Francisco, Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) is a public primary and secondary education district that has 15 schools. The PPA calls for 1 megawatt of solar carports and a 660 kilowatt-hour battery energy storage system at Pleasanton Unified’s Amador Valley High School, according to REC Solar.
