Drone shots of solar panels installed at Norco Elementary School.
Norco Elementary School has officially “flipped the switch.”
A significant portion of the facilities at the school are now being fed by solar power, the result of the installation of an onsite solar grid as part of a partnership between the St. Charles Parish school district and Shell Norco.
It is the first step of a plan to create an interactive, renewable energy learning lab at the school. The initiative involves the installation of an onsite solar grid in addition to a cutting-edge solar lab with learning dashboards linked to the solar panels. The lab will also include various equipment and tools tied to renewable energy – for example, bikes that generate battery power – and written and digital media related to renewable energy resources.
“We’ve had the opportunity to partner with Shell, and with their focus on renewable energy and resources, this project made a lot of sense for the Norco site,” said John Rome, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, St. Charles Parish Public Schools.
The solar panels will be used in part to supply power to Norco Elementary School with unused generated power fed back to Entergy, potentially yielding financial benefits. Any initial cost associated with the project is expected to be offset by governmental incentives/rebates and future energy savings, according to the school system. The panels were installed over the summer, and the “flipping of the switch” to activate the system officially happened Dec 13.
The project will be fully paid for through Shell’s grant funding via the partnership.
“It covers not only the installation costs but there’s a payback period in the energy you save over time – saving those costs (could have potentially) paid for it, but those recouped dollars will be invested back into other areas to benefit our schools and students,” Rome said. “There are also some exciting rebates opportunities through the federal government where we believe we can earn 20 to 30 percent of the installation costs back in rebates. So, it’s good for the environment and it’s an educational opportunity for our students but also it’s a cost savings for the district and the taxpayers.”
Rome said it’s another part of a green initiative included in the school district’s long range action plan, that’s already included additions like solar powered parking lot lights, robotic cleaning equipment, energy efficient roofs and HVAC systems and more.
Now that the solar panels are installed and operational, the next step is to create the learning lab.
“We have a room identified,” Rome said. “We’re looking at modifications and furnishings that would accommodate what’s going to be an interactive lab where students can get a very hands-on learning experience about renewable energy.”
Rome said the solar dashboard will be web-based an