What if your neighborhood school works only with renewable electricity? If the school administration decides to take a step strong force to install solar panels all over parts.
Each country has its own more or less complex educational system, with administrations or forms of management that can even be spiny But when we talk about saving on costs and reinvest those profits to improve education, sometimes You have to change your mentality!
America has good and bad things, but when We talk about "money" and how to get it. They are good! They are capable to take advantage of any loophole to improve financially.
The perfect example is the school district of Batesville, located in Arkansas. and in its director's mouth… «The sun is going to shine anyway, so why not take advantage of it?»
In 2017, the school committee requested an audit to a specialized company to find out how the Batesville school district was doing, which comprises a Batesville high school and five other schools small that serve about 3,200 students.
The audit found that annual invoices in electricity to cover the services of all centers exceeded $600,000. A high sum for a school zone that every year had red numbers in their accounts.
The audit report also revealed that the school district could save about $2.4 million dollars within 20 years if they installed in the photovoltaic energy institute, some 1,400 panels solar panels and updated all the facilities school buildings with new lighting, windows, security systems, more efficient heating and air conditioning, etc.
In the words of the general director… «that figure of savings was so striking, that it was enough to promote a project to improve the energy efficiency of the entire school district»
The resulting project has contributed to reduce annual energy consumption by 1.6 million kilowatts and expect a net saving of more than 4 million dollars over 20 years of solar power generation. In three years, they have had enough savings to transform the budget deficit they had of 250,000 dollars, to have positive accounts.
How is such a radical change possible? First we must understand that the educational system Americande is quite particular and, although a college be public, private funding, donations and "make do with it" as you can" plays an important role in the quality and training capacities of the centers.
Second, US energy policy allows companies dedicated to the development of renewables can sign power purchase agreements to finance, build and maintain solar panels owned by a client.
That is, for a while, schools will pay the solar installer the energy they consume from their solar panels at a lower price, saving on energy costs benefit! The installation company; win with new customers, resells the energy that is not consumed, maintenance, etc.
In third, the 1,483 solar panels finally installed in Batesville, generate approximately the half of the district's electrical needs and provide a savings of nearly $100,000 per year… Which educational center does not want to install energy renewable?
Savings, which have been able to positively relaunch the economy of the school district. And this is where they have promoted the teacher salary increase, between $2,000 and $3,000 on average per educator.
Raise teachers' salaries, recruit new staff, and the renovation of the facilities has been the most direct way of attracting and retaining students at the time that they have to choose a school.
More students, more money will enter the center! With the Plus energy savings. And everything, because of the panels solar. Not bad at all.
According to the Generation 180 report. In 2019, 16% of American school districts had installed a total of 1,337 megawatts of solar capacity.
This means that around 5.3 million students are currently attending solar-powered schools, which represents 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 others obstacles in between. The reality is; that some simple solar panels have changed the education of a town of 10,000 Inhabitants.
The renewable energy sector represents an opportunity important to everyone. And the real example of Batesville confirms that you can go very far if you want to! Also of interest this article from El País about the school that will give birth to a neighborhood.
There are multiple ways in which photovoltaics is contributing original benefits. Another interesting example is for the means of the so-called solar grazing for the maintenance of panels located in the field.
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