LIPA/Carle Place Schools Dedicate Solar Power System
PV System Will Help Carle Place Schools Save on Electric Bill & Will Provide
Education Opportunity for Students
Carle Place, NY – January 23, 2007 – The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)
and the Carle Place School District today dedicated the first photovoltaic (PV)
solar power systems to be installed by a Long Island School district under
LIPA’s Solar Pioneer Program.
The five PV systems installed by Johnson Controls/Rockmore Contracting total
49.54 kilowatts (kW) and will produce a total of approximately 57,500 kilowatt
hours (kWh) of electricity annually, which will save the Carle Place School
District and its taxpayers about $10,177 in electricity costs per year.
The solar power systems will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By
avoiding the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, the avoided emissions
over a 20-year period will be approximately 6,062 lbs of Sulfur Dioxide, 1,984
of Nitrous Oxide, and 1.5 million lbs of Carbon Dioxide.
By participating in LIPA’s Solar Pioneer Program, the Carle Place School
District also received a $198,500 rebate, which will help offset some of the
capital costs for installing the five PV systems.
“Because of their foresight and leadership, the Carle Place School District can
now harness the energy of the sun to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels,
lower its energy bills and protect the environment” said LIPA Chairman Richard
M. Kessel. “LIPA hopes that Carle Place Schools will light the way for other
municipal entities to make renewable energy part of their energy portfolio.”
W. Michael Mahoney, Carle Place Union Free School District Superintendent,
noted that, “the solar system installation represents the District’s effort to
save money by attracting LIPA rebates, cushioning the cost to taxpayers and
reducing fossil fuel usage. When you include the opportunity to educate children
about the benefits of alternative energy, the solar installation is a great
example of a win-win circumstance.”
The Carle Place School District is also using the PV systems to educate
students about solar energy and alternative energy resources. The PV
installation includes a "story board" on the side of the school building upon
which the solar panels are located that provides a description of all the
systems’ components for the students to see.
To date, under its Solar Pioneer Program, LIPA has rebated over $22.9 million
for the installation of approximately 859 PV systems Island-wide. That number
breaks down to 778 residential and 44 commercial systems and 27 systems
installed at educational, not-for-profit and Government facilities.
Additionally, there are 236 rebate applications pending for PV systems that are
about to be installed.
LIPA’s Solar Pioneer rebates are currently available for residential and
commercial customers at $3.75 per watt. School districts, not-for-profit 501c3
organizations and government entities within LIPA’s service area are eligible
for an extra dollar per watt above the current LIPA Solar Pioneer rebate of
$3.75 for a total of $4.75 per watt.
More School Districts around the Island are investigating the benefits of
solar power as an electricity supply alternative. Two other school districts
have applied for Solar Pioneer rebates to help lower energy costs and to educate
their students about solar energy.
For more information about LIPA’s Solar Pioneer Program go to
http://www.lipower.org or call LIPA’s
Infoline at 1-800-692-2626. |
