Maine-Endwell CSD Superintendent says $7.2M solar farm is paying off - WBNG
Maine-Endwell CSD Superintendent says $7.2M solar farm is paying off
The solar farm generated more $486,224 in electricity credits in year two.
ENDWELL (WBNG) -- It has been nearly three years since the Maine-Endwell School District partnered with Renovus to create a solar farm to generate 100% of the school’s electricity.
Superintendent Jason Van Fossen said this project cost a total of $7.2 million, with grants coming from NYSERDA. Van Fossen said they remain on pace to continue receiving state aid to fund the solar farm.
“The investment isn’t paid off yet,” Van Fossen said. “But it’s meeting the objectives, and it will have hit the target of paying off through electricity by year 15.″
The solar farm contains over 6,000 solar panels on a 16-acre plot of land.
Maine-Endwell High School principal Mark Wilson said the school has kept its students engaged with what they see as the future of renewable energy.
“So now that we have it here, it’s allowed our students to start exploring this technology and energy classes,” Wilson said. “So, one of the things we’re talking about at the high school is ‘what kind of classes can we create where they can interact with this technology more on a personal level?’”
Maine-Endwell School District constructed a walking path through the solar farm in 2023 to make it more accessible for the school and community. Van Fossen said they have kept it interactive for anyone with questions.
“When you’re peering in at a 16-acre solar farm, it brings a lot of questions,” Van Fossen said. “So, we’ve created some interactive QR codes for people to see what it is and learn more about it.”
Renovus said the solar farm generated over $486,224 in electricity credits in year two, far above the guaranteed $348,088. Van Fossen said this has not only brought the school’s energy bill down to $0, but it will also save the community money in the long run.
“It cost Maine-Endwell taxpayers a little over one million dollars, and it’s already generated around a million dollars in electricity,” Van Fossen said. “So, from our thinking, it’s a win-win and it gives us that opportunity to teach our kids about the future.”
Van Fossen said the solar farm will continue to contribute to one hundred percent of the school’s energy for the foreseeable future.
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Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: solar
Declining costs and government encouragement have resulted in a rapid increase in solar energy production in the United States over the past 10 years, although solar’s share remains small: 1.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018. That rapid growth is projected to continue.