North American Clean Energy has published an article by Sage COO Russell Schmit on how California schools are leading the way with renewable energy and battery storage:
Thanks to incentives, sustainability missions, and resiliency goals, California schools are leading by their example as customers for integrated solar and storage systems. Campuses nationwide can look to their California counterparts for ways to incorporate renewable energy into their school systems.
California school districts will typically install systems on canopies in parking lots and play areas, which provides the added benefit of shade while preserving precious space. Where space is not a concern and/or roofs are suitable, arrays can be found in fields or on rooftops. Increasingly, batteries are paired with solar to shape building loads, further lowering electric bills. Higher sustainability goals are driving recent trends, such as the electrification of school bus fleets, and solar-plus-storage projects to power schools during grid outages. As new goals are defined and technology evolves, it’s increasingly important to have independent engineers guiding your project from concept to completion.
Over 80 school districts have benefitted from such projects. Solar pioneers include San Diego, Santa Barbara, Kern County, and Temecula Valley. What can schools elsewhere learn from their experiences?
Want to learn more about how to finance your next solar energy project? Read more from our CEO, Arno Aghamalian, in the Washington Post.