Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

NY District Covering All Electricity Needs with Solar

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/06/21

A New York school district is now generating all of its electricity needs through a 4.1-megawatt solar project. Maine-Endwell Central School District in Endwell activated its system, located on district property next to an elementary school, on March 23. It's expected to save the district more than $6.2 million in future energy costs over the course of 25 years.

The project covers 15 acres and includes 6,240 solar panels. According to the district, it's the largest solar array owned by a school system in the state to reach 100% solar offset. The project was engineered by Eisenbach & Ruhnke Engineering and installed by Renovus Solar, both New York-based companies.

Maine-Endwell School District Solar Energy
Photo credit: Flying Brick Photography and Maine-Endwell Central School District

The system was expected to cost $7.3 million; however, that was offset by 82% through a state solar program incentive of $819,237 and additional state aid of $5.2 million.

The local utility company monitors the amount of solar array production through remote net metering and turns it into rolling credits, which are then applied to the district's utility bill throughout the year, including during the winter months when little to no energy is produced.

The solar initiative began in September 2019 when the district's board of education signed a "pre-development" agreement with Renovus. Construction was started last July 2020 and finished in November.

"Through visionary leadership and foresight, the Maine-Endwell Central School District and Renovus Solar have created a thoughtful and responsible solution to our electricity needs," said Maine-Endwell Superintendent Jason Van Fossen, in a statement. "Equally important, we have created the opportunity for our students and staff to learn the value of renewable energy resources, while providing our community with long-term cost-savings."

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.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • 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.