Hendrick Hudson Set to "Go Solar"

The Hendrick Hudson Board of Education is moving forward with a plan to install solar panels on the District’s five school buildings. At its January 14 meeting, the school board agreed to move ahead with negotiations with Siemens Industry, Inc.

The new program is projected to supply about 46 percent of the five schools’ power needs over a 20-year program period. Structural engineers have already evaluated the roofs of all five school buildings and have determined that there is sufficient capacity to locate solar panels on the available flat areas.

The installation work would commence in June of 2015, with a projected start-up date of September, and cost savings would begin to be realized in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

Currently the District purchases electrical power from the New York Power Authority. Working with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Siemens would install solar panels and related equipment so that the District can purchase power at a reduced cost. NYSERDA incentives in the amount of $747,942 will be applied to the project right away.

Although the bulk of the installation is set to take place during the summer, there will be in place a comprehensive Health and Safety Plan (HSP) to ensure the safety of students, school personnel, and workers.

The expected benefits of this project include a lower cost to supply electrical energy to our schools and cost stability across the academic year. With traditional electrical sources, increases in the cost of natural gas, for instance, have translated into higher electric outlays at various times of the year. This would not be the case with a solar energy program.

There are additional benefits to District taxpayers. First, this project continues the District’s history of fiscal responsibility and thinking outside the box. In fact, it is the third phase of an ongoing effort to conserve energy and control costs. For the last five years Hendrick Hudson has worked under an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) and in October the District earned an Award for Energy Stewardship for saving enough energy in 22 months to effectively plant more than 29,614 trees. Second, the renewable and sustainable aspect of solar energy is beneficial to our local and regional environment, in both the short and long term. Many of our stakeholders have made it clear that using “green,” renewable energy sources is a sound District goal.

Additionally, the project will include a Sustainability Education Program offering education to students, faculty, and administrators in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field. Topics would include energy efficiency, conservation and sustainability. Leveraging the new solar system, Siemens and Hendrick Hudson will collaborate on a plan to educate students about the importance of conserving resources, optimizing building operations, and thinking about how they use energy in their own lives.