Solar future is now at Julia Randall Elementary

Photo by Matt Brabb
PUSD Superintendent Casey O'Brien listens to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer at the Julia Randall groundbreaking ceremony.

By Matt Brabb
Mogollon Connection Editor

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer attended a ceremony at Julia Randall Elementary School on Saturday, July 17, to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new solar panel array that will power Payson school district buildings for years to come.

A partnership between APS, the Payson Unified School District, the Town of Payson, and a number of private firms will make the 1.44-megawatt a year system a reality.

“We can capture our abundant sunshine,” Brewer told the assembled crowd. “Arizona can be the national leader - in fact I want us to be the global leader in solar energy. And the Payson Unified School District has shown that we are well on our way.”

She praised the designers for having the foresight to put the collectors where they will provide shade for the children.

“I love to see solar projects bloom,” she said, adding that energy costs were significant for schools, and that the new array would provide 70 percent of the schools’ need for electricity.

The district will not have to pay any capital expenses for the project, and it will own the system outright after 15 years. The project will utilize Arizona companies and workers, and will operate with private investment capital.

APS will also help to fund the project. They have pledged $100,000 annually for the project.

“APS is a critical partner in the process,” Superintendent Casey O’Brien told the crowd.

Mike Cole, a spokesperson for APS said, “Solar power is no longer a dream of the future, but a reality of today.”

He added that APS predicts a 50 percent increase in energy derived from solar and other renewable energy sources by 2025.

To put in perspective how much the production of 1.44 MW per year of power is, a list of equivalences of energy derived via fossil fuels for one year was distributed. A few examples were:

· Reduction of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 332 passenger vehicles.
· Reduction of CO2 emissions from 195,386 gallons of gasoline consumed.
· Reduction of CO2 emissions from 4,039 barrels of oil consumed.
· Reduction of CO2 emissions from 23.2 tanker trucks’ worth of gasoline.
· Reduction of CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 211 homes.
· Carbon sequestered annually by 370 acres of pine or fir forests.
· Reduction of CO2 emissions from 0.0005 coal fired power plants annually.

Firms involved in the design and construction of the project include Kennedy Partners, DLR Group, and Kinney Construction Services.