Turning the Gold Coast Green
CHALLENGE
St Augustine's Parish Primary School was eager to take the next step in its program of environmental commitment, the National Solar Schools Program (NSSP) grant provided the school the impetus and an introduction to Solgen Energy made the installation "incredibly easy".
As a family-focused school, St Augustine's regards it as important to demonstrate social responsibility and environmental integrity to both the students and the parent community by adopting energy efficiency measures.
With its rich history of more than 75 years, the school was also keen to embrace new environmentally friendly technologies. St Augustine's had already installed rainwater tanks and the next logical step was to introduce a system which would harness solar power and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. St Augustine's school of 500 students, ranging from Prep to Year 7, qualified for a $50,000 grant under the Federal Government's NSSP.
SOLUTION
An introduction to and a confidence in Solgen Energy encouraged the school to take up the funding grant available through the NSSP.
Through open and constant communication with the school, Solgen Energy managed the entirety of the project from the funding process, workplace safety compliance and its installation - making the process a "piece of cake", according to the school. The two-day installation was also planned to minimise disruption to the school, with the 30 solar modules installed to the roof of the school's arts and music rooms over two days during the Easter school holidays.
Solgen Energy also installed a web-enabled monitoring device into the school's IT system where today you'll find the children (and often their parents) discovering the real time energy generation statistics and stored green data.
BENEFITS
The Solgen Energy solar solution supports St Augustine's endeavours to provide an environment that nurtures and educates its students and their families through green initiatives. The solar energy system will provide ongoing benefits including:
- educational outcomes for students though the system's student IT interface, recording real time energy generation statistics
- the annual generation of approximately 8 Megawatt hours of electricity
- the annual prevention of about 7.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere
- addressing climate change and raising awareness of renewable energy in the community
TESTIMONIAL
"Solgen Energy made the solar energy installation in our school a piece of cake. There was constant communication with the school, minimum disruption to our operations, and it has been a positive experience that the school and students are now reaping the benefits of."
Mrs Lynne Rohanna, Assistant Principal Administration, St Augustine's Parish Primary School
