At Monday's Sept. 21 Creston Community School Board meeting, Superintendent Daron Stander informed the board that he and Business Manager Billy Joe Green met with a representative of Red Lion Renewables, the company that supplies the solar panels. "There are a lot of school districts in the state of Iowa and a lot of municipalities in the state of Iowa, and now our district is looking at our data to analyze whether it's worth it to us based on our utility costs, equipment and availability of things. Preparedness. Or not," he said.
Stander said the options would be to lease or own the panels. “I say we want to rent because if we own, we have to keep. “If there is lightning, we have to replace it or repair it. If we put the panels up and it's on grass, we have to mow the grass underneath. If we rent, they look after everything. You won't get as much from electricity, but you won't incur all the costs associated with it.
To limit the density of green space, solar panels are already widely used as shaded parking lots when placed on concrete or flat surfaces. Stander Creston thought about how to adapt his idea to the school's needs.
"What about the greenhouse? Stander told the board that the superstructure can be provided. It only takes one person to design what the walls and structures will look like in the area where the roof will be.
Building a greenhouse for the school was a project to be funded by a general bond issue passed earlier this month. Managers now struggle to find ways to complete projects on tight budgets.
Board member Galen Zumbach had important questions. "Does light pass through solar panels?" "Because the light must pass through there." You just can't handle it."
The Energy Technology Analysis reports that solar panels convert 17-20% of light into electricity. Most of the light that hits solar panels is reflected, passes through the panels, or is converted to heat instead of electricity.
Another concern was the profitability of the project. - You see, how much is the rent? Zumbach Dr. "Is it heavily subsidized by the government? Is it profitable? There will come a time when something like this will be profitable. I couldn't afford a VCR when I was there. I took Chemistry 141 and 142. The slide rule was used. ."
The 2021 Solar Energy Report by Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand found 80 solar communities in the state.
"Participants in this evaluation realized annual savings of up to $80,000. The average annual savings was more than $26,475, and the average savings over the lifetime of the plant was $716,437," the report said. "If every county, county and school district were to install a mid-sized solar installation with these units, Iowa taxpayers could expect net savings of more than $375 million over the life of the installation."
Southwestern Community College recently updated its five-year facilities renovation plan, including installing solar panels on campus to address high-energy programs like welding. Solar energy offers many advantages to colleges. The cost of solar installations fell by 70% between 2010 and 2018, and solar energy is often cheaper than fossil fuels.
"I'm not interested unless it's proven to be not only useful and general," Zumbach said.
