Solar Panels are Elementary for Arizona Schools
SKY Renewable Energy makes school a cooler place to be.
PHOENIX, AZ, November 03, 2010
School grounds will be a cooler place to be for 72 students of Tonto Basin Elementary School when the solar array that shades their playground will be commissioned this week. SKY Renewable Energy installed an elevated ground mount solar array of 30kw over the Tonto Basin Elementary School playground to shade play equipment such as slides and swings."Thirty kilowatts was the largest we could install because according to the ARRA contract, the school cannot produce more power than they can consume on an annual basis," said SKY Renewable Energy General Manager Shawn Stutzman.
In October 2009, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer announced that 15 Arizona school districts would receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for solar energy projects through the State Energy Program (SEP). School districts applied through a competitive process for the Solar on Schools Grants managed for the state of Arizona by the School Facilities Board (SFB). Tonto Basin Elementary and Blue Elementary School were two recipients of that funding.
This SKY Renewable Energy project for Blue Elementary School serving nine students, kindergarten through twelfth grade will generate five kilowatts, to ensure that the building won't over produce its annual energy usage per the ARRA contract. SKY Renewable Energy elevated a ground mount next to the school building at the client's request to provide shade for park benches where the children eat lunch.
These solar projects will also be used by the schools as an educational tool. "They can monitor the system seeing how it produces energy, as well as, how the weather effects the module and the output, for example," said Stutzman.
About SKY Renewable Energy
SKY Renewable Energy has over 60 years of combined construction management experience, with a focus most recently in construction management at risk delivery process. SKY is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ,. For more information, call 602-595-4178 or visit http://www.skyrenewableenergy.com.