Solar panel meeting notes

October 3, 2011

 

A group of Prestwood parents met with Superintendent Louann Carlomagno, Deputy Superintendent Justin Frese and architect Steve Kwok regarding the design and placement of the solar panels.

 

Steve brought artist renderings of the site and gave details of the plan.

  • The solar panels will be a total of 7500 s.f., approx. 40’ wide and 190’ long. They need to be that size to offset energy use at the school.
  • They are sloped at a 15 degree angle, which is the optimal angle at our latitude to capture the most energy.
  • They will start at approx. 9’ off the ground and run up to approx. 20’.
  • They will sit atop a shade structure and there will be a solid “ceiling” underneath the panels to keep rain from dripping through and sun off the ground beneath.
  • There are 2 support columns every 20 feet, a total of 22 support columns.

 

The location of the array was chosen with a group of solar experts.

  • They need to have as little shade as possible, preferable all sun all of the time.
  • They wanted to disrupt as little of the play area as possible, including the soccer fields.
  • The electrical runs need to be as close as possible to the school, to accommodate a conduit run to the switch gears.

 

Concerns were discussed:

  • Block the view of the open field.
  • What kind of surface will be underneath the structure? Options will be identified in the upcoming weeks, thought to be a type of permeable concrete or rubber playground surface material.
  • Drainage, there will be no gutters on the structure itself, do to kids’ climbing concerns. Most likely a ground trough with gravel will divert water to a storm drain.

 

As Measure H moves forward, the focus will be on making the school more energy efficient while using the energy generated by the panels. The planning process for this part has started.

 

Dave Sickert asked about where the parts for the project were coming from. Steve told the group that the entire project conforms to the ARRA (American Recovery & Reinvestment Act), the panels themselves coming from Oregon.

 

Steve discussed security. If a panel should come loose, there will be an electronic monitoring system in place. An alarm would go off, there will be someone to be notified and then police would be called to respond at the site.

Vanessa asked about warranties for the panels. They have a 10 year warranty and there is also a bonded performance guarantee that they will generate a certain amount of energy. If they fail to do so, the company will be required to pay the district.

 

Selma Blanusa brought up the issue of aesthetics. She would prefer it not to look so mechanical. She asked if we can decide on what color to paint the structure. We will have some say in the color, although the district prefers to have them mostly the same color at all of the schools. They will need to stock up on the paint for when they need to be touched up or graffiti needs to be covered.

 

Selma also brought up the issue of reflection or glare. The angle of the panels makes glare onto the soccer field or back at the classrooms impossible. Another concern is if the yard duty people might not be able to see kids behind or under the structure. Beth said that there will need to be a discussion with all yard duty adults.

 

Jimmy Powers asked if they had looked into putting the panels on the roof of the school instead of the field. It was looked at but the building would have had to be restructured and reinforced, there are too many trees around the school buildings, and there is not enough room on the roof to house a 7500 s.f. structure.

 

The panels are going to save the district $1 million a year and this savings will be reflected in class sizes and the size of the staff.

 

The group discussed ways to make the space our own, looking at how other schools use the space. We can make it an outdoor classroom, especially since it will provide shade, put picnic tables under it, put plantings or vines to grow up the support posts, decorate it with artwork.

 

Steve was asked about projected start dates for the project. The plans are 1-2 weeks away from being approved by the state. They are hoping to have the project completed by December 15.

 

Work to be done:

  • The things that are loud, such as drilling or pouring concrete, will be after school or weekends.
  • They won't be driving trucks on the playground when students are present.
  • Not after 7PM (city ordinance)
  • Construction will be fenced at all times.
  • Trenching will be covered over or back filled.
  • There will be no staging area for materials on campus; all materials will be brought in.
  • Contractor knows the bell schedule and when and where they can be out there working.

 

 

Panel life span

  • Approx. 40 years, then they are not as efficient. They will lose about 15% efficiency.
  • The inverters will need replacement in 12-15 years.

 

We were reminded that some of the Measure H money should be set aside for these replacements.

 

Dave asked that since there will open trenching anyway, if that would be a good time to run other piping/conduits, such as water to add a water fountain in that area, or an electrical outlet. The group thought this was a good idea, architect made a note for further discussion.

 

Finally, we discussed the surface area underneath the structure. Temporarily, there will be dirt, which will turn to mud during the winter. We discussed asking a local landscape company to maybe donate some wood chips for a temporary solution during construction, or at least until the final surface material has been approved and installed.