Skip to main content
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

  • Fellowes Expands Finish and Wall-Covering Options for Architectural Wall Systems

    Fellowes Architectural Solutions has expanded the materials library for its architectural wall systems with a series of new finishes and wall-covering options intended to provide architects and designers with additional choices for commercial interiors, according to a company news release.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.