New City Yeshiva Goes Solar

Just in time for Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, a local Jewish school is converting sunlight into enough electricity to power over 90 percent of its annual use.

With a 45,000-square foot rooftop array, Adolph Schreiber Hebrew Academy of Rockland (ASHAR) is the first Jewish school in Rockland County to go solar, according to an announcement from Silver Lining Solar, of Westchester.

Silver Lining Solar is working in partnership with ASHAR on all aspects of the large project.

For Rabbi Ari Jacobson, Dean and Principal of ASHAR, the benefits of the project are not only reduced electric bills, but also opportunities for real-life, on-site education. In the press release on the project, Jacobson pointed out that on a spiritual level, the Biblical and Talmudic injunction against wanton destruction, or Bal Tashchit, calls for projects that do not destroy, and instead value renewable resources. Even when fighting a war, the Bible forbids needlessly cutting down fruit trees, “for you may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Is the tree of the field a man, to go into the siege before you?” (Deuteronomy 20:19)

ASHAR is an Orthodox yeshiva serving nearly 375 nursery through eighth-grade students.

Founded in 1954 and first housed in Monsey's Community Synagogue on Cloverdale Lane, the school was originally called the Hebrew Institute of Rockland County (HIRC). In 1975, HIRC was renamed in memory of one of the school's founders. In September 2012, ASHAR moved to its current location in New City.

The solar installation on 360 New Hempstead Road in New City included a new roof. To avoid having to pierce that roof, the 545 solar panels are held in place using a ballasted racking system that connects the panels and weighs the array down with concrete blocks.

Total system size is 171kW (DC) producing about 226,000 kWh/year.

ASHAR avoided all upfront costs by opting for a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that allows the school to indirectly share in federal tax credits for solar investments that would otherwise be forfeited because of its nonprofit, tax-exempt status. ASHAR purchases the solar electricity at a discount while avoiding the burdens and expenses of owning the actual system hardware.

Silver Lining Solar specializes in commercial solar energy from soup to nuts. Its team of professionals designs, engineers, finances, installs and maintains commercial solar electric systems for businesses and non-profits in the tristate region. The team also secures permits, inspections, and rebate approvals, and works with electric utilities on commissioning and grid interconnection.

Barrett Silver, Silver Lining Solar President, a 10-year veteran of the solar industry, has helped clients in the residential, commercial, and utility-scale sectors of the industry employ over 5 MW of solar energy.

Images:

An aerial view of the 45,000 Square foot array at ASHAR. Credit: Silver Lining Solar.

Rabbi Ari Jacobson, Dean and Principal of ASHAR (left) and David Bieber, system developer. Credit: Silver Lining Solar.