Source: http://www.circularenergy.com/2013/03/circular-energy-to-donate-complete-solar-installation-to-austin-childrens-shelter/

On April 4th, Circular Energy, a leading full-service solar design and installation firm, unveiled a custom solar energy system they donated to the Austin Children’s Shelter (ACS). The Austin-based firm installed the 10,000-watt solar PV array, consisting of 40 solar panels, on the roof of the ACS gymnasium. Of the campus’ eight buildings, the gymnasium is the largest and has the highest energy usage. This system will give the shelter the opportunity to reinvest the savings into caring for the neglected and suffering children it serves. “Not only will these panels help lower our substantial energy costs, they will also provide a powerful learning opportunity for our residents, volunteers, and staff. The ongoing savings and long-term environmental impact of this gift will give the young people we serve a firsthand lesson in the value of renewable energy,” said Kelly White, CEO of Austin Children’s Shelter. Circular Energy is setting a new standard in the solar industry through exceptional customer experience and community involvement, the company has hosted activities for the children of the shelter to learn about their new solar system and the future of clean energy. “With our abundant solar resources in Texas, we have the power to position ourselves as the world leader in renewable energy for the next one hundred years, just as we have positioned ourselves as the world leader in oil and gas for the past one hundred years,” said Texas Representative Mark Strama. Austin Children’s Shelter and Circular Energy formally launched the Shelter’s solar power system Wednesday, April 3 to commemorate accessible alternative energy in Texas. 

Source: News release- Gift of Solar Unveiled at Austin Children’s Shelter

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/24658

California’s Mount Diablo Unified School District now has 12.1 megawatts (MW) of solar on the rooftops of 51 schools, making it the biggest solar system installed for a school district in the world. Until now, Silicon Valley’s East Side Union High School District had the biggest in the country at 7.1 MW. SunPower’s solar systems are expected to save the district $3 million a year, which over 30 years will add up to $200 million freed up for education. Del Monte Electric installed the systems, including underground electrical distribution, solar installation and connecting to the utility. Over 28,000 PV panels and 150 miles of wire are installed on carports and rooftops throughout the campuses. The completion of this major project took only 15 months. Voter-approved Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS) funded the $56 million project, along with general obligation bond, and in this case the Mount Diablo School District owns its solar systems. Other significant solar systems in schools across the country are in Boulder, Colorado with 1.4 MW, Oak Grove School District near San Jose, California, with 1.8 MW, and 10 catholic schools in New Jersey, with 1.5 MW.

Source: California’s Mount Diablo School District Leads the World on Solar

A portion of this system at Agua Caliente Elementary School

SOLON Corporation, one of the largest providers of turnkey solar power plants in the U.S., has announced it has completed construction of 1.15 megawatts of solar systems for the Tanque Verde Unified School District (TVUSD). This school district is spread over four campuses which include two elementary, one junior high, and one high school. The solar systems are a combination of shade structures and rooftop systems, with over 4,000 solar modules. SOLON is the full service system provider and will continue to maintain the systems that were made possible through a 25-year solar services agreement (SSA) between the Tanque Verde school district and MP2 Capital, a leading investor in the renewable energy industry. In addition, local utility provider Tucson Electric Power (TEP) will purchase all of the environmental attributes generated by the system in the form of renewable energy credits (RECs), contributing to TEP’s renewable energy goals and helping to reduce the overall cost of the system. The financing structure of this agreement means that the district was not required to many any upfront investment to receive clean electricity at an affordable rate for a period of 25 years. The total output of this project for the first year in service is estimated to be over two million kilowatt-hours. On top of this project, SOLON is also providing an education package to the school district, including classroom monitoring of the systems’ outputs, access to the performance and weather data, and a renewable energy curriculum for elementary, middle and high school levels designed by TEP. This project has brought together the trusted organizations SOLON, MP2, and TVUSD to not only give the school district a source of clean electricity, but also the education of environmental consciousness in its classrooms.

Source: Mercom Capital Group, llc News Release- SOLON and MP2 Capital Complete Construction of Multi-Campus Solar System for the Tanque Verde Unified School District