After an initial batch of solar panels years ago, an additional system has been installed on the senior section of the high school and is waiting to go live
Over the past few years, renewable energy has become an increasingly trendy topic in the world of science and energy production.
According to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency earlier this year, renewable energy should be a “consistently cheaper source of electricity generation than traditional fossil fuels within just a few years,” leading many municipalities and school district, and of course home owners, across the country to jump on board while solar panel prices continue to get cheaper and cheaper.
The idea of installing solar panels on the roof of Eastern Regional High School originated about six years ago within the Board of Education. It took about two years for the first solar panels to be installed on top of the intermediate part of the high school.
According to Eastern Regional Board of Education President Bob DeCicco, the initial system was a 900-kilowatt system purchased under a Power Purchase Agreement, meaning the solar panels were installed at “basically no cost to the school,” and the district pays a flat fee for every kilowatt of electricity generated. The agreement will last for 15 years before the district is able to then purchase the existing system.
Already, thanks to a live calculation of the energy produced via the solar panels on the intermediate school thus far, the school projects to have generated enough electricity that is equal to more than 261,000 galloons of gas, saving more than 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
Recently, additional solar panels have been installed on top of the senior part of the high school. The system will be a 525-kilowatt system, containing nearly 1,500 solar panels generating electricity on top of the school.
“We are basically probably 90 percent complete at this point,” DeCicco said. “We expect to have it completed and get all the permits in November, and then be generating in December.”
The current installation and system on the senior high school was about $1.2 million, paying for the solar panels through both a five-year lease agreement and by using the districts reserve funds as well.
By owning the system on top of the senior high school, DeCicco says the district will have the ability to sell Solar Renewable Energy Credits to third parties, generating revenue while also saving money on energy through the solar panels for their own consumption.
Using 2016 as a base year, DeCicco says he expects savings between the precious two years for the intermediate school alone to be in the range of $80,000 to $100,000. For the senior school, once the system is paid off, DeCicco expects savings off approximately $175,000 per year. However, the system will not be paid off for about five years and he expects the savings to kick in fully in about eight years.
DeCicco also explained that although the senior high school does not yet have solar panels, it has already saved in the range of $50,000 this year due to a “different purchasing agreement,” going from a fixed cost to a real-time basis for electric, which is much cheaper.
“Other than the green and sustainability issues that everyone likes, cost saving is the driver,” DeCicco said.
Currently, the school is awaiting permits from the township, the state and the power company before the senior system goes live. However, the solar panels project at large has proven to be a cost saver for the district. The system on top of the intermediate school produces approximately 46 percent of the school’s energy needs, while the senior system projects to produce 42 percent.
