News
Solar panel project set to begin at Mohonasen High School
July 14, 2011
Starting next Monday, July 18, a project to install several solar panels on the roof of the high school auditorium will begin. The project will last approximately one week, and sections of the parking lot adjacent to the auditorium will be blocked off.
This work should not affect summer school or any summer enrichment programs at the high school.
The project is the result of a $250,000 grant from NYSERDA (the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) that was obtained by the district’s energy manager, James Dilbone, in 2009. Once the system is installed, it will generate approximately 60,000 kWh of energy and save the district roughly $9,000-$10,000 annually.
“The system won’t cut our energy bills in half or anything, but it will reduce them,” Dilbone said, pointing out that over a 25-year period Mohonasen is expected to realize a more than $118,000 reduction in energy costs.
Estimated electricity production for the system is anywhere from 2,000 to 7,000 kWh per month, depending on the time of year. The high school/middle school campus currently uses approximately 200,000 kWh a month.
However, Dilbone says the ultimate savings will be measured by much more than dollars.
“How do you put a price on giving high school and middle school students exposure to this kind of system? We will be able to enhance our curriculum and teach our students how this kind of energy is produced, how it works,” Dilbone said.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy, this type of system will produce approximately 1.5 million kilowatts of energy during a 30-year period. This amount of energy is equivalent to 2,955 barrels of oil.
It also equates to:
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A reduction of 10,916 pounds of acid rain;
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A reduction of 5,240 pounds of smog emissions;
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A reduction of 2,066,739 tons of greenhouse gases; and
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4,949 mature trees.
