Our Lady of Pompeii School at 129 Laverack Avenue, Lancaster, NY 14086 US - Our Lady of Pompeii School officials oversee installation of solar panels
| Our Lady of Pompeii School officials oversee installation of solar panels |
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008
By Lisa A. Johnson, Editor
A Lancaster school is looking to save some green while going the same color.
Officials at Our Lady of Pompeii, 129 Laverack Ave., have decided to install solar panels on the roof of the school to harness the power of the sun, generating clean energy and ultimately saving the school about $3,000 per year, Principal Harlean Nehrbass said.
"We want to go green," she said.
Officials began planning for the project at the end of the 2007-08 academic year and were able to move ahead thanks to a $200,000 grant from the state Research and Development Authority. School Business Manager Margaret Lucas secured the grant and Solar Liberty of Williamsville performed the work.
Engineering work and the installation of a new meter cost the school about $1,500, but the cost will be offset by the energy savings in about five years, Nehrbass said.
Last week, 704 panels were installed on the roof on four tracks that run the entire length of the building. Credits are earned when solar energy hits thte panels, causing wheels in the new meter to run backward. As the school uses the energy credits it has stored, the wheels begin to run foward again, and charges begin to accrue when solar credits are exhausted.
Jeff Stricker, an installer for Solar Liberty, said that the panels are maintenance free and come with a 10 to 25 year warranty, depending on the piece of equipment.
He added that credits accrued during the summer, when the least energy is being used because classes are not in session, should help the school when it comes time for fall and winter.
"The summertime with minimal load should carry (the school) for the rest of the year," he said.
Once the work is completed, Nathan Rizzo, project manager for Solar Liberty, will speak to some of the older pupils at the school, which enrolls 120 in pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade, about how the technology works and the benefits of solar power, Nehrbass said.
She added that the Rev. Leon Biernat, pastor of Our Lady of Pompeii Church, has provided a great deal of support.
"He's been very encouraging about the whole project," she said. "We're always looking for energy savings."