Solar Compass

One If By Land, Two If By Solar

Are you the champion who brought Solar to your school?  If so, Yoel Hanegbi from Eshone Energy would like to hear from you!

With California deeply committed to Renewable Energies, we’re creating our own version of the Freedom Trail; this time seeking freedom from oppressive energy costs. 

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) into law in 2006, which mandates that, by the year 2020, we must reduce our CO2 levels by 30% to match our 1990 levels and then another 50% by 2050.

The mandates are in place.  The tax incentives and rebates are available to help schools switch to Solar Power.  Bond measures are being passed to support modernization and new construction.  And yet, what Eshone Energy has discovered in talking with community members is that every school district has among them a Solar Champion.  One who knows that cost-effective alternatives are out there.  And one who takes the first steps to close the gap between the dream and the realization of solar for their community.

This Solar Champion is and/or could be:

• A School Board Member who is passionate about the benefits of renewable energy and understands the cost benefits for schools as well as the education opportunity for student.
• A Maintenance Manager of an elementary school who sees a way to cut electrical expenses.  The Maintenance and Operations (M&O) staff know the school’s site and equipment best and they will be integral in any Grid Neutral Planning as well as the ones who will be maintaining and operating the Solar Power Systems.
• A teacher who approaches the Community/Board Advisory Committee (CBAC).  This committee has a broad spectrum of representation and serves as a communication engine where information is gathered and disseminated, and providing the Board of Trustees with topic specific community feedback.
• A high school student who makes it his/her senior project and gets the attention of local newspapers and businesses.  Because the Senior Project is a research paper on an approved topic of the student’s choice and presented to a review panel of judges made up of teachers, administrators, and community members, the topic could ignite the review panel to carry it forward to the district.
• Parents who just put solar roofing on their home, sees how much it’s saving them each month, and further wonders why the school couldn’t be on Solar Power as well.
• You!

Are you alerting your community to the benefits of Solar Power?  Moving to Solar Power is a positive action and as such, the champion is met with enthusiasm and will find the supporters needed to take it to the next step. 

What are the key factors to getting Solar installed on your school? Below are four steps that will enable your school to become Grid Neutral (where your Solar Power System produces as much electricity as the site consumes).

Key Steps to Achieve Grid Neutral

Step 1
    For a New School: Set energy performance goals.
    For an Existing school: Measure current electricity use and set performance goals.
Step 2
    Implement and maintain appropriate energy efficiency and conservation measures to lower electricity use.
Step 3
    Install solar or wind systems to create electricity to meet remaining needs.
Step 4
    Monitor electricity consumption and production.

Click on this link to read about these steps in more detail.

    If you would like to share you thoughts, please either leave a comment for our Solar Compass Blog below or send an email to the editor@eshone-electric.com.    
    If you have any questions about how to approach your school or need information to bring to your school, please email solutions@eshone-energy.com.
    And if you’ve already started the Solar Revolution at your school and are ready to see some specifics as to the customized system and the accompanying funding options, contact press@eshone-energy.com.

Top 3 Myths about Solar Funding for Schools

Come along as Eshone Energy dispels the myths about solar funding.

True or False?  There is no “free money” available.  Answer: False
While it’s true that money doesn’t grow on trees, there IS free money available to schools who want to Go Green.  Take a look at just a few of the free money programs available to California schools that will help enable them to become solar powered schools:

• $86 million of the original $100 million in matching funds from the Assembly Bill 127 is still available to schools through the California High Performance Schools (CHPS) program.
• The California Solar Initiative (CSI), popularly known as the Million Roofs Solar Initiative, offers a rebate per watt installed and smaller projects can receive that rebate up-front.
• There’s a Savings-By-Design program that’s run by the four major investor-owned utilities (i.e. PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric, etc.) that offers rebates and incentives for those who exceed the current efficiency standards by at least 10%.
• Proposition 1D still has over $2 billion available that’s solely set aside for school modernization while smaller amounts like the $600,000 of Proposition 47 specifically set aside for energy is there for the asking.

And schools are definitely asking. They want solar power systems on their schools. The applications are coming into the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) and the State Allocation Board (SAB) from every county, asking for grants totaling more than $200 million.

True or False?  School Districts Can’t Get Voters to Approve Bonds for Solar. Answer: False
Election results indicate that voters are interested in Renewable Solar Energy and are very willing to Go Green.  The recent election had more than 380 local measures and 95 school bonds up for the vote.  A whopping 90% of the school bonds passed.

For example, the voters in Los Angeles Unified School District passed Measure Q, which approved a $7 billion bond, the largest local school bond measure in the history of California.  The dollars are allocated for the modernization of existing schools, with money specifically earmarked for solar and renewable energy.  Supporters of Measure Q said, “Measure Q will create greener, healthier learning environments for our kids by replacing outdated polluting buses, improving air quality in schools near high traffic areas, installing energy efficient technology, and increasing use of renewable energy.”    

Indeed, within the full text of the measure, you find a strong commitment toward building sustainable schools: “Improve energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy at schools, including installation of energy efficiency projects and renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind arrays, to contribute toward compliance with the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.”

True or False?  Purchase Plan Agreements (PPAs) Are the Only Option for Funding Outside of Bonds, Grants, Rebates. Answer: False
A Purchase Plan Agreements (PPA) is a long-term agreement to buy power from a separate company that finances and owns the solar system and then sells you the electricity generated by the system.  Choosing this route allows schools to leverage federal tax credits and take full advantage of depreciation and utility incentives.  This is a great option, but it’s far from being the only option.  

Many school districts initially think they have to secure loans in order to get solar panels installed on their schools, but with so many directives and incentives out there, it’s completely possible to attain a solar system fully funded through a combination of modernization funds, grants, rebates and bond money.  

There’s also the tax-exempt lease. The California School Boards Association offers the Flex Fund, which provides tax-exempt financing for both energy and non-energy school projects.

Another interesting alternative is utilizing Federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds.  These bonds provide an interest-free loan for renewable energy projects. The federal government provides a tax credit instead of the school district paying interest.

Even in the cases where the school opts for the “borrow-to-buy” plan, the numbers are surprisingly friendly. Below is an example of Anderson Union High School District, which utilized the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Energy Efficiency Financing Program. This CEC program provides a fixed 3.95% interest loan for feasibility studies and installation of energy-saving measures. The maximum loan amount is  $3 million per application.

Anderson Union High School District Photovoltaic System
CEC Energy Efficiency Loan Program
Utility Rebates – California Self-Generation Incentive Program

This project also included energy efficient lighting, controls, chiller for administration building and recommissioning. Here is the cost breakdown:
Total Project Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,017,500
PG&E Rebate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $857,000
CEC Loan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $1,160,000
Cost Savings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $118,333/year
Simple payback after rebate . . . . . . .  9.8 years

Here’s the truth of the matter – There’s simply no better time than the present to Go Green.

When the CHPS Are Down to Zero

Why getting down to zero in this case is a good thing and why 2010 and 2020 are important solar dates for CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools).

First, some interesting numbers besides zero on the California School System.

• California is responsible for the education of 12 ½% of the student population in the United States.
• Enrollment rates are 4 times the national average.
• California has a wide range of district sizes; from the 732,000 students at the Los Angeles Unified School District to more than 600 small school districts having less than 2,500 students.
• 100s of schools are being built each year to house more than 100,000 new students and to accommodate state-mandated class size reductions.
• Over 30% of existing facilities are in need of major renovation.
• California schools are spending more than $700 million per year on energy.

Keeping ever mindful of the numbers listed above, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools mission is simple: Facilitate the design, construction and operation of high performance schools where environments are not only energy and resource efficient, but also healthy, comfortable, well lit, and containing the amenities for a quality education.

CHPS aims to raise awareness of the impact and advantages of high performance schools and help increase student performance with better-designed and healthier facilities.  They seek to supply professionals with better tools to facilitate effective design, construction and maintenance of high performance schools and strive to increase school energy and resource efficiency while reducing peak electric loads.

What defines a High Performance School?

•  A community resource    
• A teaching tool
• Comfortable
• Commissioned
• Easy to maintain and operate
• Efficient 
• Environmentally responsive
• Healthy       
• Safe & Secure           
• Stimulating Architecture

Why are High Performance Schools Important?

• Increased Student Learning & Teacher Performance
• Increased Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
• Reduced Operating Cost
• Reduced Liability
• Reduced Environmental Impact

Those are laudable goals, but the reduced Environmental Impact is only one of their aims so why is Renewable Energy garnering so much interest now?
On the horizon, loom some important policies that will influence schools a great deal.
For new school construction:

• Beginning in 2010, all new schools would be built to CHPS 2009 Criteria.
• By 2020, all new schools would be required to be Zero Net Energy¹

And for existing schools:

• All schools seeking modernization funds would be required to meet CHPS standards. By 2020, schools not going through a major modernization would be required to undergo energy and water benchmarking^2.
• Implement all efficiency measures with a 10-year payback.

CHPS numbers are growing.  More than 35 CHPS-designated schools are already operating with another 300 in progress while 27 school districts have signed resolutions making the CHPS Criteria the standard for all new school construction and major modernization.  Take a look at some of the latest schools to make the grade.

And yes, there is a grading system.  CHPS has a Criteria Overview that not only defines a ‘high performance school’ but also has a system of pre-requisites  through a point system where 28 out of 81 possible points will get you the CHPS rating.  The main categories are Site, Water, Energy, Materials, Indoor Environmental Quality, and District.  Each of these categories have a number of distinct areas where the school can earn points.

For example, under the category of Energy, you’d find groups like Energy Efficiency, Alternative Energy Sources, Commissioning and Training and within each degrees of credits that can be attained.

Hop, Skip, Jump.  2009 is a hop away, 2010 a mere skip and 2020 will be here before you know it.  The time is now to make the jump to become a high performance school.

¹ Zero Net Energy:  The point at which the building generates as much energy as it uses.  These buildings are ON-GRID so they can sell excess back to the utility company.
² Benchmarking: A process to search for and identify the best practice with the objective of implementing this best practice and thus, improving performance.