This fall marks the 180th project completed on a public facility by the Solar 4R Schools program. We recently passed the 3,000,000 kWh mark on the website and it has brought a moment of pause to my day as I stop to think back over the projects completed in the last year. The program seeks to bring innovative renewable energy projects to the public by installing equipment that is new to the market.
Recently the collective solar energy production for all the schools and public facilities in the Solar 4R Schools program surpassed three million kilowatt-hours, keeping more than four million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere; enough energy to power an American home for more than 250 years. A nice big round number like three million is a good moment to reflect on the projects that help take the program over the three million kilowatt-hour mark.
The Solar 4R Schools program aims to develop projects that foster a broad understanding of solar technologies. The projects completed in the last year demonstrate the dedication to that commitment. Notable projects completed in the last year include a thin film (amorphous silicon) installation that spanned 9 rooftops in the Portland, Oregon area. The technology differs from the conventional solar installation that commonly installs solar panels mounted in an aluminum frame to metal racks that holds them in place on the rooftop. Thin film solar requires less hardware to install and glues directly to the surface of the rooftop. Portland Public Schools was seeking to re-roof school buildings in the area and was able to partner with Gerding Edlen and the Energy Trust of Oregon to cover the fresh new roofs with a unique form of solar technology that glues directly to the roof membrane. Thin film technology reduces shading issues too and gathers solar energy even on cloudy days.
Micro inverters are another recent innovation in solar technology and earlier in the year we installed some at Liberty High School in Renton, WA. Most common solar installations use a single unit called an inverter to invert the DC power generated by the solar panels into AC power that can be fed back to the grid. Microinverters do the same job but are placed on each individual panel rather than as one unit for the whole system. Microinverters can be useful in helping to maximize the power output of each individual panel. With the unique data interface provided by the company Enphase, who makes the microinverters, one can look at the individual output of each panel to insure it’s working up to snuff. Another advantage is that microinverters provide a common voltage output allowing for the option of combining unlike solar panels. For example, perhaps you want to add another string of solar panels to your roof but the modules you bought are a few years out-of-date and you’d like to use newer more powerful modules. Microinverters can help combine the power output from the different panels.
Liberty High School’s solar electric system is also unique because it is mounted on a duel access tracker that follows the sun across the sky throughout the day as well as tracking season changes in the suns paths. Compare the output from Liberty High School to the system at Hazen, which is the same size and orientation but mounted on a static pole.
The German American School in Beaverton, Oregon is another great solar project with a unique installation and a great story. The German American School project is a joint venture between the school, Solar World, Portland General Electric, the Energy Trust of Oregon, and Solar 4R Schools. The eight-kilowatt system was donated by Solar World and is mounted over the playground area where students can admire it during recess. Solar World generously added another feature to the solar project at the German American School—a solar museum. The museum is open to all teachers and students in the area to visit, just call ahead to set up a time and then bring your class by for a visit that will teach them about energy from the sun and give them a chance to jump up and down on a super strong solar module!
Community solar projects are a growing model for installing large scale solar and Solar 4R Schools has been their since the very first community solar project was completed in the U.S. Ellensburg, WA developed the first community solar project in 2006 as a 36 Kw system. Members of the community who were not able to install solar on their own rooftop were able to buy a portion of the output from the large scale system located along side the city parks and visible from highway 90. Bi-annually, community members who invest in the project are paid for their portion of the energy production of the system. Ellensburg solar electric system and other community supported solar arrays are becoming an ever-promising model for going big with solar. BEF has been collaborating with a number of groups to produce the second edition of the Community Solar Handbook and will soon release it to the public.
Each solar project in the Solar 4R Schools program tells a chapter in the evolution of solar technology and education. The stories conveyed above are just a sampling of the incredible stories and installations you’ll find online at Solar4rschools.org.
Val Fishman joined BEF on October 1st as our Senior Business Development Representative. For the past five years, Val has been weaving her passion for environmental protection and conservation into her career. She started by beginning a sustainability program at Clear Channel Radio in San Francisco, where she worked across departments to implement efficiencies and educate employees on environmental issues and behavior modification, as well as creating a marketing and sales strategy around the program.
