Add as a preferred source on Google

Schneider, S.C. District Partner to Push Net Zero Energy Initiative

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/19/21

Schneider Electric recently announced that it is partnering with the Richland County School District One (Richland One) in Columbia, S.C., to help the district meet its goal of Net Zero energy consumption. Scheduled for completion in 2022, the project will entail adding solar arrays to the roofs of 15 campuses within the district. The two-phase project is set to reduce the district’s energy consumption by almost 73 percent and save them almost $57 million in energy bills across the next 20 years, according to a news release.

The district plans to use the solar arrays to generate renewable energy under its Net Metering program. The district will receive financial credit from local utility provider Dominion Energy for any power that has been generated but not used—for the same rate at which the district would have purchased it.

The solar array project is part of a larger, district-wide comprehensive infrastructure modernization project that began in 2020. The goal of the program is to address deferred maintenance and upgrades to campus HVAC systems. The project also serves as a lead-in for a new STEM curriculum for the district, which will include lessons about energy generation, carbon impact, conservation and sustainability.

“School buildings with legacy equipment were a drain on energy and budgets,” said Justin Shutt, Business Development Manager for Schneider Electric. “We’re pleased to help Richland One truly transform its infrastructure in a way that not only helps achieve their sustainability goals, but also drastically cuts energy costs to free up millions of dollars for other district priorities.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Delta State University Completes Renovations to School of Nursing Facilities

    Delta State University recently completed a major expansion and renovation project for the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing facilities on its campus in Cleveland, Miss., according to a news release. The project includes about 14,000 square feet of new construction and more than 21,000 square feet of renovation work to the existing space.

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Kimball International Launches New Furniture for K–12 Classrooms

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of four new products designed for a variety of professional environments, including K–12 schools, according to a news release.

Digital Edition