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The school that was saved thanks to solar panels
What if your neighborhood school runs only on renewable electricity? If the school administration decides to take a decisive step to install solar panels all over.
Each country has its educational system more or less complex, with administrations or forms of management that can even be thorny. But when it comes to saving costs and reinvesting those benefits to improve education, sometimes you have to change your mind!
The United States has good things and bad things, but when we talk about "money" and how to get it, they are good! They are able to take advantage of any loophole to improve financially.
The perfect example is the school district of Batesville, located in Arkansas. And on the lips of its director… "The sun is going to shine anyway, so why not take advantage of it?"
The sun is going to shine anyway, so why not take advantage of it?
In 2022, the school committee requested an energy audit from a specialized company to find out how the Batesville school district, which comprises a Batesville high school and five other small schools serving about 3,200 students, was doing.
The audit found that annual electricity bills to cover the services of all centers exceeded $ 600,000. A large sum for a school zone that had red numbers on its accounts every year.
The audit report also revealed that the school district could save about $ 2.4 million over 20 years if they installed in the institute some 1,400 solar panels and updated all school facilities with new lighting, windows, more efficient heating and air conditioning systems, etc.
In the words of the general director … "this savings figure was so striking that it was enough to promote a comprehensive project to improve the energy efficiency of the entire school district"
The resulting project It has helped reduce annual energy consumption by 1.6 million kilowatts and they expect a net savings of more than $ 4 million over 20 years of solar power generation. In three years, they have had a enough savings to transform the budget deficit they had of $ 250,000, to have the accounts in positive.
How is such a radical change possible? First, we must understand that the American educational system is quite particular and, although a school is public, private funding, donations and "just do your best" play an important role in the quality and training capacities of the centers.
Second, US energy policy allows companies that are dedicated to the development of renewables can sign energy purchase agreements to finance, build and maintain solar panels owned by a customer.
That is, for a time, the schools will pay the solar installer for the energy they consume from their solar panels at a lower price, saving on energy costs, benefit! The installation company; earn with new customers, resell the energy that is not consumed, maintenance, etc.
In third, the 1,483 solar panels eventually installed in Batesville, they generate about half of the district's electrical needs and provide savings of nearly $ 100,000 per year… What educational center does not want to install renewable energy?
Finally Installed Solar Panels Provide Annual Savings of Nearly $ 100,000
Savings, which have been able to positively relaunch the school district's economy. And this is where have driven the salary increase for teachers, between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars on average per educator.
Raising teachers' salaries, recruiting new staff and renovating facilities has been the most direct way to attract and retain students at the time they have to choose a school.
More students, more money will enter the center! With the plus of energy saving. And everything, because of the solar panels. It's not bad at all.
According to the Generation 180 report. By 2022, 16% of US school districts had installed a total of 1,337 megawatts of solar capacity.
It means that around 5.3 million students are currently attending solar-powered schools, an increase of 81% compared to 2014.
Although it is clear that there are many educational differences in the country you are in and the United States, and many other obstacles in between. The reality is; that simple solar panels have changed the education of a town of 10,000 inhabitants.
The renewables sector represents an important opportunity for everyone. And the real example of Batesville confirms that you can go a long way - if you want to! Also of interest is this article by ElPaís about the school that will give birth to a neighborhood.
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