Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

District Solar Deal Includes Learning Wagons

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/30/19

An Indiana district is setting up solar farms that will cover the energy usage for three of its schools. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will be working with Ameresco to implement two solar arrays, with a total of 4,800 panels and the capacity of generating 2.4 million kWh annually. The company said that level of energy production was sufficient to power 294 homes for a year, avoiding 1,687 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

District Solar Deal Includes Learning Wagons

District Solar Deal Includes Learning Wagons

District Solar Deal Includes Learning Wagons


Source: Hamilton Southeastern Schools

The deal also includes two "solar wagons" and programming to help the schools add solar-oriented curriculum into the classroom.

Funding is coming from a combination of four-year bond fees and cost savings expected from the solar arrays. According to local reporting, the investment is expected to be covered in 11 years through cost savings.

"Our partnership with Ameresco has already allowed us to invest in projects that directly benefit our students and create a more sustainable learning environment at our schools," said Superintendent, Allen Bourff, in a statement. According to the district the project, which began in January, has already loosened up sufficient budget to cover construction of a playground at an intermediate school, with the expectation that two more will be built in the future.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.