Growing the Green Credentials
CHALLENGE
For a school that shares its grounds with an abundant vegetable garden, egg-laying chooks and a never-to-be-eaten woolly sheep, it seemed only natural that it should be harnessing the sun's power to contribute to its thriving environment.
St John the Evangelist High School is a Catholic, co-educational secondary school set in a semi-rural area in the Shoalhaven District in southern New South Wales, exemplifying its aims to be a peaceful, caring and friendly community.
This social integrity is also clearly reflected in the school's commitment to the environment and its undertakings to reduce its carbon footprint. Already, the school has rainwater tanks which are used for flushing the toilets; it recycles all paper; and adopts electronic alternatives to minimise paper use, wherever possible. These green initiatives lead to the recent acceptance of a $50,000 grant from the National Solar Schools Program to install an energy efficiency solution for the school.
SOLUTION
St John the Evangelist High School contacted Solgen Energy and encouraged by the company's professionalism, can-do and flexible attitude, pursued the installation of a tailored solar energy system.
Solgen Energy managed the entire process on behalf of the school, enabling the installation of 30 panels in an aesthetically sympathetic section of the school's library roof over two days, during the school holidays.
The school can now function as a mini power station, with the potential to return power to the grid and enable it to receive credits.
BENEFITS
As part of the Solgen Energy solution, the system incorporates an excellent teaching resource which, from its location in the library, gives live feedback as to the amount of electricity that is being generated. Further ongoing benefits of the system include:
- 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
- raising awareness of renewable energy in the community and reducing carbon footprint
TESTIMONIAL
"Solgen Energy was professional from the start, they kept in touch with us through every step of the process and were happy to fit into our timetable, and they have continued to follow-up to ensure the system's operating at its optimum."
Debra Braund, Leader of Administration, St John the Evangelist High School
