If you’re going to go solar, now is the time

Cornell School District administrator Paul Schley (left) and CESA 10 executive director Charlie Schneider were present Jan. 25, to report to the Cornell City Council, on a proposed solar installation project for the elementary and high schools. More information is needed before the project gets the OK, but the meeting was a start and gave an opportunity to share what is planned. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

It’s not set in stone yet, with public input still needed, but the Cornell School District is looking at installing solar panels at the elementary and high school buildings. Before the project goes any farther, the district wanted to touch base with the City of Cornell, to see what requirements there are for completing the project.

A special council meeting was held Jan. 23, for just such a purpose.

“We’ve been looking at this for about 20 years, and [we’re] finally to a point where we’re ready to go, because it looks feasible now,” said Cornell School District administrator Paul Schley.

Charlie Schneider, CESA 10 executive director, is in charge of managing the project, sharing that the company Solar Connection was chosen to install the panels at the two school lots. Council president Steve Turany questioned if CESA collected multiple bids for the project, which was affirmed, while council member Terry Smith asked if the products are American-made.

Schneider says many of the products do come from export, which is unfortunate, as a better incentive could be had by keeping the purchase in-country.

“There’s not a lot to choose from,” said Schneider.

The panels in question would possibly sit alongside the elementary school on the green space, on the south side, as well as a few on the roof of that building and the bus garage, while the high school’s would be located near Ripley Street, on the north side of the parking lot.

The preferred location would be to the south of the baseball field, but Schneider is concerned about the setback from the highway interfering. However, mayor Mark Larson is thinking about when there are football or baseball games, or tracks meets, when vehicles are parked all along Ripley and the lot is full.

Would there be enough room for the panels? Floyd Hickethier, council member, also voiced the thought that drivers might not be able to see when pulling out from Ripley Street onto South Eighth Street. It is possible to raise panels, so vehicles could park under them, while city works superintendent Derek Braun believes there’s enough of a setback already there, that line of sight would not be a problem.

In order to tie into the high school’s existing electrical system, the project would require boring under the road, which is not a problem, as long as the proper permits are applied for.

“People bore under the road all the time,” said Braun.

City administrator Dave DeJongh mentioned that there might be zoning concerns, with the panels as accessory structures, so the district could need a variance. On the other hand, because the high school parking lot wouldn’t be strictly considered a “back yard,” that might be in the clear.

“The city attorney said that was kind of a wrinkle,” said DeJongh.

For the ground panels, they would not be fenced in, but would have what Schneider calls squirrel cages around them – not to say fencing isn’t an option, but it makes snow removal and lawn care more difficult, and the aesthetics are not as good.

“How elevated can you actually bring those panels off the ground?” asked Turany.

That’s really an engineering question, but Schneider felt the parking lot panels could be constructed as high as they needed to go, as much as 12-15 feet in the air. The panels are not ideal for the roof at the high school, since the district would have to beef up the supports, which is expensive.

In addition, someone would have to climb up to the portion of the roof to remove snow that drifts around them.

“Myself, I think it’s very important to keep these on the ground, so the community can see them, so the kids can see them, so the kids can be a part of this,” Schneider. “I want to bring this into the curriculum.”

The high school would also lose any existing warranties on the roof, as it is not designed for anything else on top of that building.

Safety, was, of course, paramount in everyone’s mind and while Schneider agreed the panels are not invincible, they rarely have to be replaced. There’s no biohazard, with wiring protected to keep kids from “monkeying” around and lightning is not drawn to them anymore than a regular roof.

The panels also wouldn’t cause glare to motorists, because of the angle they’re set in place.

Eventually, as with any technology, the panels will be obsolete, with newer models on the market or a different source of energy sought after, but the solar would remain operational until replacement or removal.

“There really isn’t a lot of maintenance,” said Schneider, adding that the inverters and panels fall under warranty, and that there are at least 12 solar projects CESA is currently overseeing. “In different buildings, it works out better.”

Once they break ground, the panels would be up in a few days, but the wiring takes a lot longer, so Cornell is looking probably between two to six months before completion, when working with different contractors.

The burden also doesn’t fall back on taxpayers, as there is money in the school’s Capital Improvement Fund for the project, along with some incentives, for a payback of less than 10 years. The proposed high school solar project would cost $273,000, with $82,000 from federal money; $15,000, from Focus on Energy; and $24,000, from Solar on Schools.

It was agreed the city’s attorney will need to be briefed about the findings and that an engineer will need to see how the panels fit into the city’s electrical system. Once that happens, it’d be a good idea to have a public hearing, to hear any concerns, questions or ideas from the community.

Schneider says he’s confident the project will be a benefit to the school and community, and that the incentives need to be utilized while they are available.

“It’s here and we can take advantage of it now,” said Schneider.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="273"] The elementary solar panels would be spread out between the roof, south side of the school and the bus garage roof, while the high school’s would be located in the north parking lot, along Ripley Street. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]