District Solar Deal Includes Learning Wagons

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

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.

  • 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.