Solar Power for Lakewood Schools

[stephen davis]

Lakewood Local Schools (Hebron, OH) are considering solar power installations to reduce costs.

The Buckeye Lake Beacon reported this today. Here is a link to the story:

http://www.buckeyelakebeacon.net/news/2 ... tion_.html

I have pulled a few points from the article. Interesting stuff.

Gault [Lakewood Superintendent] said he believes solar cells could save 80 percent on electricity costs for the Lakewood high, intermediate, and middle schools. He said SBO Limbach’s work would be financed through the Ohio School Facilities Commission Energy Conservation Program House Bill 264. The Energy Conservation Program allows school districts to make energy efficiency improvements to their buildings and use the cost savings to pay for those improvements. “The savings you get has to be more than the payment for the loan,” said Gault.

Frequently called the House Bill 264 Program (after the 1985 law that created this financing mechanism), the Energy Conservation Program gives districts the ability, in this one limited instance, to borrow funds without having to pass a ballot issue for the authority to borrow. This limited borrowing authority has given districts the ability to save millions in utility bills and operating costs, and all at no additional taxpayer expense. “The district doesn’t take on any debt,” said Gault. He said there are many energy efficiency upgrades the district needs, such as replacing the middle school’s single pane windows.

Eric Zimmer, founder and CEO of the Dublin, based Tipping Point Renewable Energy, told board members previously that the district would have no up front or maintenance costs and could save $650,000 over the next 20 years if the company installs a solar power system on campus. “We get paid by producing power,” he said previously. “If we don’t produce power, we don’t get paid,” Zimmer said a 1.2-megawatt system could produce 85 to 90 percent of the power that all the district buildings – except the administration building and Hebron Elementary School – require. AEP would supply the remaining 10 to 15 percent.

Is this something that could be used for our Lakewood City Schools?

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[Edward Favre]

We did look into solar when we did Phase I and II of the facilities project. It was not cost effective at the time and the School Facilities Commission would not fund it. Technology has obviously improved and that, coupled with economic and legal changes, certainly warrant revisiting the issue as we move foreward.

[Stan Austin]

Great interchange between Steve and Ed. Good idea and good response. I would also add that solar and other renewables not only be considered for future school construction but for retrofit. Just look at that square footage on Harding's roof!!!!!!

[stephen davis]

Ed,

Thanks for jumping in. (You too, Stan.)

I thought the comments by the CEO of Tipping Point Renewable Energy were interesting. Do you suppose they are able to guarantee a return?

A friend of mine is a UCLA engineering grad who has worked for a manufacturer of outdoor photovoltaics for decades. Manufacturing is in California and Oregon, and is now owned by a German company. I believe that they have made most of the photovoltaics for U.S. Coast Guard lighthouses and markers. You can see examples at the mouth of the Rocky River and all along the coast.

His home is in Ventura, CA. It is ideally suited for photovoltaics, and his roof is full of them. He actually makes money with excess power that goes back to the grid.

He recently told me that there is a lot of new technology, at much lower cost, that will be hitting the market soon. He also says that you don't need perfect climate to reap significant benefits.

I admit that I have a lot more interest than expertise in this area.


Steve

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[Edward Favre]

There are many promising ideas in this and related areas. Whether it is solar, geothermal, or wind, which we have considered in the past, the future looks exciting. For example, we will be looking at many new technological advancements when we get to Phase III that were not available in Phase I and II.

Having said that, we all know of cases where products or services did not deliver as promised. If the vendor guarantees it, and the guarantee can pass the fine print test, great. With school funding continuing to shrink, the old saying of getting the best "bang for the buck" is the test.

[Roy Pitchford]

Does Lakewood get enough sun during the Fall, Winter and Spring for solar to be worth it, even with "better" technology? I would think wind would be a slightly more cost-effective option given the wind that comes off the lake.

However, if you really think solar is something to investigate, let me recommend taking a look at http://www.solarroadways.com for school parking lots. The system is capable of powering internal heaters which keep the surface at 40 degrees, preventing snow build-up. So, while they are expensive, you're generating your own electricity and eliminating snow-removal costs.

[Edward Favre]

The amount of sunlight here was/is an issue. That, and the technology at the time, did not really tip the scales when we last looked. Again, we will need to revisit it.

As far as the geothermal under parking lots, we looked at such an installations, in particular at North Royalton Middle School. They have a very large parking area and used much of the space beneath it. The smaller size of our parking lots (we do not have bussing and more students walk), the output of the technology of the time, and the fact that many of our lots have storm water catch basins beneath, knocked that idea out of the box at that time.

[Jim O'Bryan]

The amount of sunlight here was/is an issue. That, and the technology at the time, did not really tip the scales when we last looked. Again, we will need to revisit it.

As far as the geothermal under parking lots, we looked at such an installations, in particular at North Royalton Middle School. They have a very large parking area and used much of the space beneath it. The smaller size of our parking lots (we do not have bussing and more students walk), the output of the technology of the time, and the fact that many of our lots have storm water catch basins beneath, knocked that idea out of the box at that time.

Ed

Perhaps it is time. While I was working with the Cleveland Foundation on a project they had
found Italian photovoltaic cells that wee designed for the rainy cloudy areas of Italy, Germany,
London, etc. that were 50% better at producing energy in low light situations. They were
installing them all over University Circle, to bring down the cost to electricity over the entire
area.

Two days ago, Robert Kennedy Jr. claimed there are now two companies in California that
are producing cells on par with the Italians. His fear was that more low cost dumping
of cells would hurt these two companies as it hurt Solyndra.

FWIW


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[Edward Favre]

The ability and availability to do these all things improves on almost a daily basis. Without a doubt we need to look at them as we go forward.

[Scott Meeson]

Enjoy: http://mbpo.org/uploads/RooftopRevolutionFINAL.pdf


INITIATIVE:

[stephen davis]

"Lakewood Approves Solar Project"

So says The Buckeye Lake Beacon.

Here's an excerpt:

Lakewood has done two House Bill 264 energy conversation project where the energy cost savings is used pay off the project costs. The first, in 2002, replaced the inefficient Hebron Elementary boiler and upgraded several others, saving $150,000 a year. The second, in 2006, focused on roofing at the middle school, saving $84,000 a year. HB 264 project debt must be repaid with savings in no more than 15 years.

Taylor said the district now wants to replace 50-year-old windows at the middle school. Paybacks based on energy savings are 38-40 years which means the project doesn’t qualify for HB264 financing.

Taylor said the solar photovoltaic project – generating electricity with solar panels – became the way to generate savings to pay for the new windows. The total energy savings project cost is estimated at $917,707 with $612,000 for the replacement windows. The balance will be spent on lighting refits in all district buildings.

The solar project doesn’t require a cash investment from the district, though it will take cover six-seven acres of district property. It is sized at 1,000 kWe, with 295 kWe (1,284 4’x8’ modules) behind the intermediate school and and 705 kWd (3,068 4’x8’ modules) south of the high school student parking lot.

Eric Zimmer, CEO of Tipping Point, presented the solar details. He estimated $680,513 in savings from the solar project over the 20-year contract. That savings is based on the three percent per year escalation in the cost of solar power and a four percent per year increase in the cost of AEP power based on the January rate structure that was pulled back.

That's the other Lakewood school district in Hebron, Ohio.

See the whole story here:

http://www.buckeyelakebeacon.net/news/2 ... oject.html

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[Will Brown]

Read carefully, the technology proposed involves acres of solar panels, not just a few panels on a roof. Lakewood lacks the land necessary for such a farm. Also, the solar technology field seems to attract enthusiasts, who don't necessarily know how to run a business, and it seems many of them go belly-up. Even the most enthusiastic of them admit that their projects are viable only with government subsidies. and we should all be wary of an industry that has been so often in bankruptcy.

I'm not opposed to solar energy, or any alternative energy source, except nuclear, but I am oppose to rushing into an unproven technology with our limited finances. If a proven company with a proven technology can provide a service, I say go ahead. But I think we are not yet near to that point.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Solar panels have been around for so long in Europe, and here we are in 2012 and it's barely an option here in the US. Is it really rocket science?

Also, a cost efficient method to solar panels is to install just enough panels to power one portion of the electricity bill for a year. The Cleveland Indians installed solar panels on their stadium a few years back that powered all the TV's in the ballpark. Doesn't power the entire ballpark, but the 120x20 feet (or so) of panels created enough energy (and extra energy can be stored) with the amount of sun we get here to power 427 TV's all day, year round.

Are they going to power an entire school? No. Can they take electricity bills and cut them so that those funds could be put elsewhere? Yes. The whole idea of solar panels has never been to completely run something large off of it, it's just to reduce the amount of electricity each household uses from the power grid so that the money saved could be used somewhere else (like a savings account).

Plus, you don't need sunshine to run solar panels- you need UV rays. Just because it's cloudy doesn't mean there aren't UV rays shining down. Also, there are solar panels that work at night and absorb infrared light and turn them into energy. I know sunshine isn't always guaranteed in Cleveland, but night is.

Reminds me of the George Carlin monologue of the Hippy Dippy weatherman-
"Tonight's forecast? Dark. Continued darkness until the morning, until it's partially light."