Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ohio School System Adds Rooftop Solar Field

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/25/19

Federal Hocking Local Schools had a "grand 'turn on'" of its new solar power plant. Now, 1,968 solar panels installed on the roof of the joint middle and high school building will provide energy to the Ohio school system.

The solar system is expected to generate about 700 kilowatts of renewable energy annually, which will cover about 70 percent of the building's energy needs during the year. The project was contracted to Third Sun Solar.

In local reporting, the project was promoted as a way to cut the cost of energy, reduce carbon footprint and teach students about the renewable energy industry.

Early in the project, Superintendent George Wood explained how funding the system worked: An outside company would own the plant and the school district would "buy energy from them at a reduced cost." The district also invested $400,000 from its reserve account to reduce the cost of the electricity it would be purchasing and to "speed up the buy-back option on the plant." By doing so, said Wood, "we will see reduced annual costs, accelerate our path to ownership and have more money for annual expenses."

He also suggested during the official launch that other schools should take the same route. "You’re generating cheap, clean energy. You’re getting an educational benefit from kids and you’re being a good steward of public resources. Seems to me it’s a win-win solution for everyone," he said.

Eventually, the school community will be able to track the energy produced by the site through an online dashboard that displays current power and energy generated for the day, month and lifetime of the installation.

Research by the Solar Foundation reported that the state of Ohio had 45 schools that have "gone solar."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • T&T Construction Management Group Completes Pasco High School Expansion

    Pasco High School in Dade City, Fla., recently announced that it has completed an expansion project in partnership with T&T Construction Management Group, Inc., Harvard Jolly Architecture, and Williams Company.