10/27/2009 10:03:00 PM Two county schools get solar power grants
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
Skull Valley Elementary and Yavapai Accommodation schools won grants from the state to buy solar power systems for the schools. The money will buy photovoltaic systems that use solar panels similar to these at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
PRESCOTT - Skull Valley Elementary and Yavapai Accommodation schools are going solar.
Money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is finding its way to the two Yavapai County schools.
"We are really pleased," said Vicki Hilliker, kindergarten teacher and administrator at Skull Valley.
"It's great. Our school is ideal for solar because of our orientation to the sun," said Katie Hayden, administrative assistant at Yavapai Accommodation.
Gov. Jan Brewer chose 15 school districts from throughout the state to divide $2.9 million in ARRA money for the sole purpose of installing solar power systems in schools. She chose the school districts based on square footage of a district's schools.
The Arizona School Facilities Boards (SFB) is managing the program for the state.
"Focusing on small school districts allows the SFB to impact as many districts as possible, as well as providing a solar system that will have a meaningful impact on the school district," wrote John Arnold, SFB executive director.
Skull Valley Elementary School has 24 students and Yavapai Accommodation has 81 students.
According to the SFB solar energy awards chart, Skull Valley's elementary schoolhouse is 8,550 square feet, and the school board gets $240,000 for a solar power system.
Hilliker said that the district would use the solar energy "mainly for cooling."
"We have quite a lot of room for the system, and we have a large roof for the panel," she added. The SFB estimates that the solar power would save the district about $8,000 per year in its electric bill.
Yavapai Accommodation's school building is 3,125 square feet, according to the SFB award chart, and its school board gets $120,000 for its solar power system. SFB estimates that the school district would save more than $4,000 per year in its electric bill.
"We are getting a 15 kilowatt, photovoltaic system," Hayden said. "We're going to use it for electricity, and any excess that we have we sell to Arizona Public Service so it can go back into the grid.
"Yavapai Accommodation is a school to give kids a second chance. It is a place for students that have gotten in trouble, pregnant or just don't fit in at a traditional school."
Although the accommodation school, which teaches students in grades nine through 12, is less than half the size of Skull Valley's elementary school, its student body is nearly four times as large.
"The building is designed for 25 students, so in order for us to handle 81 students we rotate three shifts," Hayden said. School starts at 8 a.m. and the last class ends at 10 p.m.
Because the "Solar on Schools" grant program is new, school administrators do not know when the money or the solar power systems will arrive.
"We discuss solar power in our current events discussions," Hilliker said. "This is so good for the environment and for the kids."
Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Article comment by:
Stimulate THIS!
Do the math, this system doesn't add up unless you buy into the falacy that this is "helping the environment." This is nothing more than a waste of OUR tax dollars in the form of a cheap government handout with money stolen from my children and grandchildren.
What FEDERAL hoops is the Skull Valley School District going to have to jump through?
There is no recovery and this is a poor investment. Is Ms. Hayden going to tell her little skulls of mush that their President has bankrupted American for generations to come? Is it good for the kids that their parents are losing their jobs and can't sell their wortless house?
Don't buy into any of this garbage, Obama wants to destroy this country as it was founded!
Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Article comment by:
Money,money,money,
Always good to know,that in these troubling time and such a bad economy our goverment has so much money that projects like this can go forward,it is always good to have an over abundance of tax money to spend!Are the panels even made in America?Why is important to do at this time? Seema a little fishy!Last we were told there wasn't enough money for teachers!Green kick back?
Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Article comment by:
Right Wing Conservative
What idiot came up with this plan. Let's see, 240k to install the system excluding regular maintenance and repair cost to save $8000 a year in power costs. Return on investment would be around 30 years and by then the system will be obsolete and/or non-functioning. What a way to spend our tax dollars.
