(Farmington, MN) Schools could get solar panels on their roofs (and save $100,000-$200,000 per year)

[NickB79]

http://www.farmingtonindependent.com/news/education/3861564-schools-could-get-solar-panels-their-roofs

The district is working with Edina-based Sundial Solar Energy on the project, which would put solar panels on the roofs of every district building. Sundial is looking for an investor to cover the cost of installation. A request-for-proposals period is scheduled to end Thursday, and Sundial’s Art Crowell said he has two investors who are “very interested.”

Once the panels are up, the district will save an estimated 10 to 20 percent on an annual electricity bill of just over $976,000. Crowell said he would not accept a proposal that would get less than 10 percent savings for the district.

Finance director Jane Houska recommended the district put most or all of that money aside for the first few years of the program so they will be able to buy the panels outright after six years. But after that she said the savings could be significant.

I know it's not exactly ground-breaking news, but it is happening in the town I live in and school district my daughter is going to

[Kaleva]

1. Interesting article! Thanks for posting.

[Nihil]

2. Good news makes a welcome change!

And, of course, the more "locals" that move in the right direction, the better
the "global" ends up!

[Thav]

3. The local utilities may quash this, though

A school district around here wanted to do it, but the local utilities were able to stop it by telling residents that their electric rates were going up because of it.

It's all a bunch of bull on the utilities' side - rates ALWAYS go up. We got sold a truckload of crap on a new power plant near by - rates will go down they said. Funny, after construction started, they raised rates to "cover the cost of construction." Rates never came down.

[Finishline42]

4. Solar causes rates to go up?

A school district around here wanted to do it, but the local utilities were able to stop it by telling residents that their electric rates were going up because of it.

What really happens is that the school is able to redirect tax money to education instead of a continuation of the 100 yr unquestioned diversion of those funds to the utilities.

The data shows that the more Solar PV panels that are bought the cheaper they get. It's called economies of scale and the utilities are very afraid of the direction they are moving. What is going to happen as a result of the stratagy of raising fees on solar is that the energy storage business will grow many times faster.

The other thing that hurts the utilities is that solar generates power when they most need it cutting down peak power arbitrage games that energy traders make a lot of money on.

[Thav]

5. That's how the utility sold it

I couldn't find the article, but it had something to do with net metering. It was honestly a load of bull, the utility didn't want to have a hit in revenue.

[NickB79]

6. The local utility (Dakota Electric) just put up their own solar farm in town last year

http://www.dakotaelectric.com/news-events/newsletters/circuits/0914circ6

"In addition to the Farmington solar site, Great River Energy is working with 17 other member cooperatives throughout the state to construct similar solar arrays. In total, Great River Energy expects more than 600 kW of new solar energy installations to be in service by the fall of 2015."

Granted, it's only 20kW, but I love driving past it as I come into town