The Washoe County School District worked with Hamilton Solar to install a collective 1.5-megawatt solar power system at Reed and North Valleys High Schools.

The project was entirely funded by rebates through NV Energy’s Solar Generations Program. NV Energy tells us they expect more renewable energy projects like these to come to the Silver State.

“Nevada is a leader in the United States in renewable energy per capita, we have more solar than anybody else in the country. The school districts are leaders in programs like this or in the installation of solar projects like this across the state. So, I don’t expect to see it stop,” NV Energy’s John Hargrove said.

The two systems will save an estimated $270,000 in electricity each year. Full report here http://www.ktvn.com/story/16666589/two-high-schools-celebrate-new-solar-projects

The savings in electricity costs from the two systems is estimated at $270,000 annually. The savings will be realized within the operating general fund and purposed for classroom essentials, educator salaries, and student textbooks and materials.

The Washoe County School District, with Nevada’s elected representatives and local media, will commemorate the project Thursday, February 2nd from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony outside Reed High School. Reed boasts a towering megawatt solar panel system that doubles as a student and faculty parking lot shade structure. Reed High School is located at 1350 Baring Blvd., Sparks, NV 89434.

The public is invited to attend, as well as, support groups and media organizations are welcomed. For more information, please contact (775) 830-7285.

140 percent rise in grid-connected photovoltaic installations in the third quarter.

“In a time when America has been suffering to put people back to work, the solar industry has grown to employ over a 100,000 people; that’s 20,000 more than the coal industry,” said Reid Hamilton, partner of Hamilton Solar.

In the past year, he said, the company has grown from 35 employees to more than 60. The company said it completed

42 projects in 2011, installing approximately 6.6 megawatts of commercial and residential solar power systems.

Some of the most notable projects took place in city of Sparks, Carson City, Washoe County, Humboldt County and Lander County school districts, Churchill County, Esmeralda County, Eureka County, Lander County, Reno Sparks Indian Colony, Lion County Fire Department, Reno-Tahoe International Airport and the Nevada Humane Society.

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The Carson High School solar farm boasts five acres of photovoltaic panels and will generate as much as one megawatt of power.

The project is a collaboration between the school district and Hamilton Solar, a Reno-based company.

“Carson High is the largest system on a school site in Northern Nevada,” said Chad Dickason, Hamilton Solar president.

In addition to Carson High, Fritsch and Seeliger elementary schools and Carson and Eagle Valley middle schools also have had the arrays installed, Dickason said.

He said the five sites were selected based on prime location, the volume of energy consumption and being the most advantageous for solar use.

Superintendent Richard Stokes said it has been a valuable collaboration with Hamilton Solar.

“It really has been a tremendous partnership, having people watching out for the interests of our community and our school,” Stokes said.

He credited school district operations manager Mark Korinek with sparking consideration of solar projects after studying each school building, retrofitting where possible and then investigating new technologies.

“Where we had space around some of our campuses, it just seemed like we could get into the solar business,” Stokes said. “We figured that in five years or less, we could actually pay for the projects.”

Stokes said savings from the solar projects could eventually help pay for more than just utility costs and could help with school operations.

“We petitioned the Public Utilities Commission on behalf of the school district to allow us to put in projects that were more suitable to the school district’s needs,” Dickason said.

Energy rebates from NV Energy helped pay for the project, $4.9 million of the more than $5 million installation at Carson High.

Collectively, Dickason said, Carson City School District installations cost more than $11 million, $10.3 million of which went to Hamilton Solar.

About $9 million came from energy rebates, and Stokes said that the district obtained the balance of the money from midterm bonds.

Hamilton Solar employed about 50 people and about 70 subcontractors on the projects. Hamilton Solar has installed 9,604 photovoltaic solar panels on Carson City school property, enough to cover three football fields.

Collectively, the projects will save the school district about $400,000 annually.

Hamilton Solar will train school district staff and provide education opportunities for students on solar maintenance.

“With the number of arrays we have in the school district, we look forward to teaching students through science, business, just a whole host of academic opportunities,” Stokes said.

The Washoe County School District’s Board of Trustees in June 2010 approved installation of photovoltaic systems at 23 schools by November 2010 to promote green technology, environmental educational and cost-saving methods.

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Carson City recently added 195,000 square feet of solar arrays built at five sites throughout the Carson City School district.

Last month, NV Energy presented a $9.7 million rebate check to the district for using solar power at its schools.

NV Energy has installed 1,949 kilowatts of solar energy at Carson High School, the Fritsch and Seeliger elementary schools and the Eagle Valley and Carson middle schools. A total of 9,604 photovoltaic panels were installed – enough to cover three football fields.

NV Energy says the school district has installed more solar power than any other district statewide. Hamilton Solar of Reno installed a total of 9,604 photovoltaic panels – enough to cover three football fields.

The largest installation is at Carson High School and consists of nearly one megawatt of solar. The farm is projected to save the school district approximately $200,000 annually.

The solar panels are expected to reduce the district’s annual electricity usage by 2.9 to 3.9 million kilowatt hours – the equivalent of electricity required to power 300-400 homes for one year.

Since 2004, 1,215 projects have been installed statewide on homes, small businesses, school and public buildings through the SolarGenerations program.

Carson City Mayor Robert Crowell, and School Superintendent Richard Stokes will attend Wednesday’s dedication, along with members of the Carson City School District Board of Trustees. The Carson High School band will perform and a color guard will present the colors.

NV Energy also has similar rebate programs for small wind turbines, solar water heating and small hydroelectric installations.

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“As you drive, you’ll see the 1.2-megawatt solar array at the National Guard,” he said. “Then you’ll see the 300-kilowatt array at Eagle Valley Middle School.”

Korinek, operations manager for the Carson City School District, went on to list solar arrays on state and city buildings and more planned to be built at Western Nevada College.

Those, combined with the 9,604 photovoltaic solar panels installed at five schools throughout the district, create about 4 megawatts of power.

“I believe, per capita, we could call Carson City ‘Solar City,’” he told the crowd gathered Wednesday to celebrate the completion of the 195,000 square feet of solar arrays installed throughout the district.

The ceremony was held next to the five acres of photovoltaic panels at Carson High School, Nevada’s largest site-servicing solar project.

“What a great privilege and honor it is to be mayor of Solar City,” said Mayor Bob Crowell. “This is what Nevada is all about, and this is what Carson City is all about.”

The project came to fruition with a partnership between the Carson City School District and Reno’s Hamilton Solar Inc.

Representatives for Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., presented both organizations with letters of commendation.

“(Heller) loves the partnership element that went into this,” said Pam Robinson.

Richard Stokes, superintendent of the Carson City School District, likened solar energy to the “black gold” discovered by the Beverly Hillbillies.

“In this great Nevada sun, we have the ability to generate electricity that will generate money that can be used in the classrooms, paying teacher salaries, and growing curriculum. It’s really going to be a tremendous boon for the Carson City School District,” he said.

A rebate through NV Energy reduced the district’s $11 million bill for the project to $1.25 million.

Korinek said the panels are expected save about 3 million kilowatt-hours per year, which, depending on energy costs, could be about $400,000 annually.

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More than 10 percent of the solar installations in Nevada in recent years have been in schools.

What may be the largest of these projects was celebrated with a ribbon cutting in Carson City today.

The new solar array at Carson High would cover three football fields. It can also generate nearly a megawatt of power.

The power generated there and at four smaller installations at other Carson City schools will also help cut the school district’s energy costs for years to come.

“About $200,000 we believe,” says School Superintendent Richard Stokes, “and those are moneys that instead of being used to pay utility costs will be put back in the classroom.”

In fact Stokes says that amount could hire three more teachers and speed up other needed capital projects in his district.

About 90 percent of the district’s costs for the project were covered by a $10 million dollar rebate from NV Energy.

The solar arrays were installed this past year by a local company, Hamilton Solar, using local workers.

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