Solar energy powers Vernon schools

VERNON — As dusk crept along the fields separating Rolling Hill Primary School and Lounsberry Hollow Middle School, the solar panel installation project was officially opened on Sept. 15,
Vernon Township School District’s Board of Education members and administrators were invited along with Nick Walsh of Solar City, legal counsel Ryan J. Scerbo and energy consultant Mark Warner to take part in a “green” ribbon-cutting.
The project initially began two summers ago, as Ryan Scerbo of DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick and Cole, LLP and Mark Warner of Gabel Associates sought an energy partner for Vernon Township School District. Solar City was awarded the bid and now owns the Vernon Township School District solar panel system, having expensed the entire project’s cost. With the array installed, Vernon’s school district now holds a contractual 15-year Power Purchase Agreement for electricity supply at less than 10 cents per kilowatt. The projected savings of this solar project is approximated to total $29,000 within its first year and over $348,000 for the duration of the contract.
To Vernon students, the progressive potential of solar energy is now as clear as daylight. Lighting the hallways and illuminating each classroom, electrical currents of solar energy now power every electrical device in Rolling Hills Primary School and Lounsberry Hollow Middle School.
As computers boot up and Smartboard screens flicker into action, students have begun to realize that, starting this September, solar power is a part of their lives. By making this electrifying connection between scientific technology and environmental sustainability, students are able to have a real-feel understanding of this next cutting-edge source of energy, all from the screens of their Chromebooks.
The schools’ “green” energy is produced from an array of solar panels that sits on top of the vast, grassy knoll, stretching beyond Rolling Hills Primary School and Lounsberry Hollow Middle School. Powerful in sight, the solar array is exponentially more powerful in electrical capability. This modernistic structure now provides enough electricity to power both of these adjacent public schools within Vernon Township School District.
The solar energy generated by the array’s panels is provided electronically and displayed on digital dashboards within the entryways of both schools. In-person or online, parents, students and community members are able to easily view the electrical output of the shared solar array, across various time intervals and weather conditions. The digital dashboards of Rolling Hills Primary School and Lounsberry Hollow Middle School provide real-time data of the schools’ energy consumption and comparative fuel and cost savings. In addition to monitoring the steady stream of electricity produced by the solar array, the dashboard’s live-tracking features also measure the eco-conscious offset quantities that the system creates. The tons of carbon dioxide emissions and gallons of gasoline saved by the solar array are featured and equated to the estimated number of trees saved, as well.
Nestled between these two schools, the solar panel system and its digital dashboards also afford an invaluable learning opportunity for students.
With everything in their educational environment now powered with electricity supplied by the array, students are eager to learn more about this environmentally-friendly system that ties directly to the fourth- and sixth-grade science curriculums.
According to Daniel Osenni, K-12 Supervisor of Science, the new solar array has offered students “a firsthand look at this new energy technology and will enhance our science curriculum. We look forward to using this new technology to help our lessons come alive for our students.”