Projects provide district with 689 kW of clean, solar power
Plymouth Meeting, PA (October 18, 2011) – Tangent Energy Solutions today announced that solar energy generation installations at three Colonial School District (CSD) schools have been fully tested and commissioned – enabling them to start providing power.
The three schools are the sites for two separate solar energy projects; one at the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School/Elementary School Campus, and a second at the Colonial Middle School. Combined, the projects will provide CSD with more than 825,000 kWh per year of clean electricity, which annually saves more than 1.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. CSD is projected to save more than $1.5 million over the course of the 20 years agreement.
Tangent is also implementing a technology platform at CSD that actively manages the solar assets. This technology monitors conditions on the electric grid to predict peak demand periods when energy costs are highest. Since solar energy enables CSD to source less of its power from the grid, the district is less exposed to high costs during these peak periods.
However when solar energy is not available or sufficient, like on cloudy days, Tangent’s technology triggers efficiency measures that automatically reduce the amount of energy the schools use until grid conditions improve. This technology is projected to drive hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional savings.
“Colonial School District is showing great leadership in the area of renewable energy, and is also using our innovative approach to significantly cut their operating budget in these tough economic times,” said Tangent President and CEO Dean Musser. “We are confident that this partnership and approach will become a model for other schools and institutions across Pennsylvania and the United States.”
The solar generation assets were provided to CSD at no capital cost through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The PPA enabled Tangent’s third party project investor to purchase the assets, and then sell the energy generated to CSD at a fixed rate for the next twenty years.
“We’re very excited to be working with Tangent to save money, while helping the environment,” said Terry Yemm, Director of Operations at CSD. “In addition, the solar panels provide significant educational opportunities for our students, who will soon become the next generation of leaders working to solve our nation’s energy issues.”