NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR
NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR
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The American Solar Energy Society‘s 28th Annual National Solar Tour aims to promote renewable energy awareness and increase the adoption of sustainable living practices. Are you interested in going solar or purchasing a sustainable system? Join in-person or virtual tours to gain insight from current owners!
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Bethlehem Area School District
Mark Stein, Director, Facilities & Operations
Northampton and Lehigh Counties
James Buchanan Elementary (280KW)
Farmersville Elementary (400KW)
Spring Garden Elementary (270KW)
East Hills Middle (295KW)
Freedom High (380KW)
Year installed: 2010-2011
Total cost: $7,172,237
Cost per watt: $4.41/watt
Financing: DCED Grants ($1.8M), PPA fixed $.09/KWH, $.10/KWH for Freedom HS to fund parking canopy.
PPA: Tangent Energy Solutions was the initial PPA provider.
Solar system installer: Tri-M Group of Kennett Square (4 of 5), Baja Group (Freedom)
Ground mounted/Rooftop: Buchanan, Farmersville, Spring Garden = Ground mounted; East Hills = rooftop; Freedom = parking canopy. An interesting solution was developed at Spring Garden. The City of Bethlehem allowed the school district to use part of a retention basin in which to site the panels, so the amount of usable green space was minimized by using the otherwise unusable retention basin space. Two of the schools (James Buchanan and Farmersville) are fully powered by solar energy.
Annualized Savings: The PPA agreement broke even over the first five years, but the fact that electricity rates actually declined below the negotiated PPA price, has cost the District an additional $163,000 over the last seven years. Annualized it is $13,603/year over 12 years on an average electricity spend of $1.4M. The PPA breaks even again beginning in July 2023.
Percent of total usage offset: Approximately 9% of the district’s consumption.
Future Plans: BASD received a state grant to purchase 2 electric school buses. Infrastructure upgrades are planned for completion during summer 2023 with buses expected to arrive in February 2024. The district will continue with a district-wide energy conservation program which has resulted in a $20M cost saving for BASD community by focusing on efficient operation of existing building HVAC plants, energy efficient lighting upgrades and demand response programs.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/northampton-county/2013/06/solar_panels_save_money_for_be.html