From Harford County Public Schools:
Harford County Public Schools and SunEdison will activate of six, large scale solar power systems in a celebration on the rooftop of Edgewood High School at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The combined 1.2 MW systems are expected to generate an average of 1.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually, enough to power more than 2,600 homes over the twenty-year power purchase agreement term. Board of Education of Harford County President Mark M. Wolkow, HCPS Superintendent of Schools Robert M. Tomback, Ph.D., and HCPS Resource Conservation Manager Andrew P. Cassilly will be in attendance, as well as Harford County Executive David R. Craig and representatives from SunEdison.
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The multi-school program was made possible in part by the grant funding from the Maryland Energy Administration’s (MEA) Project Sunburst program and a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SunEdison. These solar electric projects from companies like Future Smart, along with two solar hot water sites, are just some of the many new initiatives to help promote a more sustainable system of school operations.
Is there an estimate of how much of a reduction in energy needs this will provide for the school? How long will it take for the County to do this for all schools? Schools are ideal for solar panels with their large, flat roofs in clear and open spaces. I cannot believe that this hasn’t been a standard in new school construction before this.
This technology is not cost effective without large federal grants. On its own solar panels used to generate electricity are not even close to breaking even. Lets hope it is not a new required standard. That’s our money they are borrowing to fund these grants.
I was not aware that these still are not cost efficient. I had hoped that with advanced technology they would be more useful than they apparently are.
Along with being hugely inefficient, these things create a huge waste stream in the manufacturing process. Just like the batteries in the cars that are supposed to be so efficient, if the environmental costs were added in there would never be another one made. BUT the school system can “feel good”, and the hell with whether it does any good.
Compared to the waste generated by coal powered electric, solar is certainly worth the investment and a wise use of school roof tops. The systems pay for themselves in about five years by reductions in energy costs. Concidering the environmental costs of mining and buring coal – solar is a clean a power source as possible. Nuclear power is the most goverment subsidied, expensive form of energy in the world.
These systems are something that the school system should feel good about.
There you have it. None of the statements made by taxpayer can be backed up with facts. BUT the fact that there is “something that the school system should feel good about” more than compensates for a poorly informed decision.
Magnolia MS has them.
Thanks CDEV. The fact that another school has them is more than adequate reason to put them onto another school. Who cares if they will never recover their cost of manufacture, installation and maintenance? It feels so damned good to think green.
not making a judgement one way or the other simply reporting the facts!
Thanks for the clarification CDEV. Back in the good old days of the cold war, the Army, Navy Air Force justified all of their pet projects to Congress by declaring that “The Soviets have it”. We ended up with tons of wet dream carp that no one could use, but by God we had one. I thought that was where you found yourself with the original comment. Sorry that I jumped it unfairly.
I’ve often wondered the credential of Mr. Cassilly. Does he have an engineering background? Or does he just have the right last name in this county?