Great Valley School District gets a bright idea worth thousands
Great Valley Middle School will be a solar-powered center of learning as plans for grant-funded solar panels were finalized this fall for the facility.
Installation and wiring of the approximately 650 solar panels on the roof of the middle school is scheduled to begin in January of 2010. If all goes as planned, the panels will be installed in time for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Earth Day 2010.
Great Valley School District supervisor of buildings and grounds Richard Krumrine initiated the application process for the grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in June 2008. After applying for the $500,000 energy harvest grant from the DEP, Great Valley was not chosen to receive funds. Over the summer, the school was later chosen to receive $500,000 in grant funding for the solar panels through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We saw that the opportunity to do a solar project was there, and we went for it. Fortunately we got a second opportunity and we were still committed to it,” Krumrine said.
In accordance with the grant’s guidelines, the district is funding half of the project totaling $500,00 from the capital reserve fund and the other half of the project will be funded by a federal grant. The million-dollar solar panel project was approved for the district at a September school board meeting.
According to school business administrator Charles Linderman, the capital reserve that funded half of the solar project is typically used to finance similar projects including but not limited to funding maintenance equipment, large computer equipment, renovation projects and security systems throughout the district.
Linderman is happy to see the project come to fruition.
“It’s a way for us to invest in something that will have a less than six-year payback and will continue to pay us back in the future,” Linderman said.
The solar panels will be placed on the roof of the middle school and electricity generated will be used directly in the building. According to Krumrine and Linderman, the school district will save about $82,000 per year in electricity costs based on local weather patterns. The panels have a 25-year warranty and are estimated to last about 35 years.
“We are estimating payback in as little as six years to cover the $500,000 cost. Eventually after six years the district may get a positive cash flow from the project,” Krumrine said.
Krumrine applied for the grant because he saw the pricing on solar panels decline about 15 percent, and he and school administrators thought it would be a positive investment for the district. The district was previously unable to fund the project entirely on its own because the payback period from the school’s energy savings would have taken about 12 years, he said.
“It’s exciting because it’s a project that has three benefits: the district will save financially on electricity costs, it benefits the environment, and there is an educational benefit for students and the community,” Krumrine said.
Part of the project will feature a computer kiosk monitoring system in the school lobby that will display real time information about how much energy is being produced and the savings it is creating.
According to Krumrine, the middle school was chosen for the solar panel project because it has a large area of flat roof and few roof obstructions. The school also has a metal trellis at the entrance that will serve as a showcase for the solar panel project to the school and community.
Currently the district does not have any plans to apply for grant funding for solar panels at other school buildings.
Installation and wiring of the approximately 650 solar panels on the roof of the middle school is scheduled to begin in January of 2010. If all goes as planned, the panels will be installed in time for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Earth Day 2010.
Great Valley School District supervisor of buildings and grounds Richard Krumrine initiated the application process for the grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in June 2008. After applying for the $500,000 energy harvest grant from the DEP, Great Valley was not chosen to receive funds. Over the summer, the school was later chosen to receive $500,000 in grant funding for the solar panels through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We saw that the opportunity to do a solar project was there, and we went for it. Fortunately we got a second opportunity and we were still committed to it,” Krumrine said.
In accordance with the grant’s guidelines, the district is funding half of the project totaling $500,00 from the capital reserve fund and the other half of the project will be funded by a federal grant. The million-dollar solar panel project was approved for the district at a September school board meeting.
According to school business administrator Charles Linderman, the capital reserve that funded half of the solar project is typically used to finance similar projects including but not limited to funding maintenance equipment, large computer equipment, renovation projects and security systems throughout the district.
Linderman is happy to see the project come to fruition.
“It’s a way for us to invest in something that will have a less than six-year payback and will continue to pay us back in the future,” Linderman said.
The solar panels will be placed on the roof of the middle school and electricity generated will be used directly in the building. According to Krumrine and Linderman, the school district will save about $82,000 per year in electricity costs based on local weather patterns. The panels have a 25-year warranty and are estimated to last about 35 years.
“We are estimating payback in as little as six years to cover the $500,000 cost. Eventually after six years the district may get a positive cash flow from the project,” Krumrine said.
Krumrine applied for the grant because he saw the pricing on solar panels decline about 15 percent, and he and school administrators thought it would be a positive investment for the district. The district was previously unable to fund the project entirely on its own because the payback period from the school’s energy savings would have taken about 12 years, he said.
“It’s exciting because it’s a project that has three benefits: the district will save financially on electricity costs, it benefits the environment, and there is an educational benefit for students and the community,” Krumrine said.
Part of the project will feature a computer kiosk monitoring system in the school lobby that will display real time information about how much energy is being produced and the savings it is creating.
According to Krumrine, the middle school was chosen for the solar panel project because it has a large area of flat roof and few roof obstructions. The school also has a metal trellis at the entrance that will serve as a showcase for the solar panel project to the school and community.
Currently the district does not have any plans to apply for grant funding for solar panels at other school buildings.
