Cohoes Middle School goes green!

District receives state money to install solar panels on school

The Cohoes City School District won a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) that will help the district become just a little "greener."

The $309,821 grant will fund the installation of a 45.6 kilowatt solar panel system, which will provide electrical energy to Cohoes Middle School. District consultants estimate that the system will save the district 14.2 percent of its annual electric consumption, a savings of about $10,000 a year.

"We are very excited that the Cohoes City School District has received this grant," said Superintendent of Schools Robert K. Libby. "Our district has a commitment to saving energy, and this money will help us further our ability to save energy as well as taxpayer money."

Not only will the solar panels help the district save money, the staff and students will benefit in the classroom from the educational opportunities the system will provide. Power production can be monitored through a kilowatt hour meter, which will be installed in one of the school's science labs. Students and community members will be able to see carbon dioxide offset, daily and monthly power production levels and money saved through a Web site, which will be linked from the district's site.

Alteris Renewables, the company that will install the panels, will provide unlimited familiarization training to faculty who may be interested in incorporating the photovoltaic system into their curriculum. In addition, the company plans to provide a free solar electric talk at the school every year for interested classes.
The project is currently under review and in the final planning stages. Construction is expected to begin in spring or summer 2010.

The Cohoes project is one of the projects approved for public K-12 schools statewide through a competitive process governed by NYSERDA. Funds for these projects come from the federal American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.