School Solar Panels

[irishbobcat]

Solar Panels proposed for Northeast Ohio Schools by State Legislator,
and it's not Bob Hagan

April 17, 2008

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported last week that a state lawmaker wants Ohio to put solar panels on 2,000 school rooftops - about half of the public school buildings in the state - a move he says would create jobs and combat rate spikes.

State Rep Lou Blessing, a Cincinnati Republican, wants to start the program in Northeast Ohio in school districts served by First Energy Corp's Illuminating Co. and Ohio Edison. Ohio Edison provides much of the electrical services to school districts in the 60th district.

Blessing figures the project would rescue districts from skyrocketing electric bills if First Energy and Ohio Edison ends discounted school rates next year, as it has told the state it intends to. School districts here are bracing for 40 percent higher utility bills if the discounts end.

During the school year, Blessing says, districts could use the solar power generated on their roofs rather than buy it from First Energy and Ohio Edison.

On hot summer days, when school was out, the power would flow into the utility's local distribution grid, just as demand peaks.

A First Energy spokeswoman said the Akron-based utility would be interested in buying the power. The utility already takes power from homeowners who have installed solar panels.

Blessing wants to use Ohio-made solar panels - and eventually roofing materials with built-in solar modules. The plan, he said, would jump-start solar manufacturing in the Buckeye state.

He estimates the project would cost $6 billion dollars.

"A project of this size would literally turn Ohio's economy around," Blessing said in an interview. "It's a $6 billion jobs and progress plan. And the state doesn't have to spend anything."

Because Ohio would place the largest order in U.S. history, the cost of solar panels would fall, Blessing argues.
"The beauty of this is that panels could become inexpensive enough for homeowners to buy them."

The solar-equipped school buildings also could lower overall summer power prices by generating up to a billion watts of extra electricity, about as much as one of First Energy's nuclear reactors produces. But in this case, there would be no fuel bills.

Blessing is a member of the Public Utilities Committee of the Ohio House and has sat through weeks of hearings over Gov. Ted Strickland's comprehensive energy bill aimed at restructuring the state's utility regulations and creating a renewable energy-manufacturing base in Ohio.
 
Blessing said he got the idea after reading a Plain Dealer article airing the complaints of Northeast Ohio school officials at a hearing about First Energy and Ohio Edison rates.

The utility has offered all schools a lower rate and included an extra discount for districts that paid three years ahead. But First Energy wants to base its electric rates on wholesale power markets beginning in 2009; a move it says would require it to end all discounts.

"I read that story and thought it would be absolutely insane not to do this," Blessing said.

Ken Clicking, business manager of the Euclid schools, welcomed the idea.

"Anything that will help us save energy in the future sounds like a good thing," he said. "It's a great idea. I would not restrict it just to solar. What about fuel cells or geothermal systems?"

Blessing said he submitted an amendment to Strickland's bill last week and also gave the proposal to the governor's office.

Mark Shanahan, Strickland's energy adviser, said: "I think it is a really interesting proposition. If his numbers work out to be right, it is a good project."

The amendment would require the School Facilities Commission and the Ohio Department of Development to work together to create the solar program, if Congress extends the 30 percent federal tax credits.

The state would be required to negotiate with manufacturers for discounted prices for the huge orders of solar equipment needed.

Blessing has already talked to one company, the Sunlight Corp., a Toledo-based spin-off from tax-funded research at the University of Toledo.

He said he planned to sit down today with representatives of First Solar Inc., an established thin-film solar panel producer in Perrysburg. The 9-year-old company exports most of its current production.

Xunlight,(pronounced Sunlight) plans to begin limited production in the next couple of months of thin-film solar modules printed on flexible stainless steel. Commercial production is planned for the fall, with a ramp-up next year.

"When you are talking about 100 million square feet of solar modules, as a solar manufacturer we are very interested," said Matthew Longhorn, vice president of development at Sunlight.

"One of the advantages that we believe we have is that our product is lightweight and flexible," he said. "We would like to have that module integrated into the roofing membrane and go down on a flat roof. It would be perfect for schools."
Sunlight has contacted Garland Company, a Cleveland-based, century-old roofing manufacturer that just weeks ago won a $1 million Ohio Third Frontier grant to commercialize a process to meld solar modules into roofing membranes.

"We are already putting solar on school building roofs, just not in Ohio," said Brian Lambert, a director at Garland.

"We've done it in California. We'd love to do it in Ohio. We'd love to work with Sunlight."

Once again we see Bob Hagan missing the train when it comes to investigating and bringing renewable energy manufacturing jobs to the valley as well as working to reduce energy costs to school districts. If school districts cannot reduce energy costs in the near future, these costs will be passed on to property owners with more school levy requests. Why is a state representative from Southwest Ohio pushing for solar power schools in our part of the state? Why not Bob Hagan? Why are renewable energy companies springing up in Toledo and Cleveland? Why not Youngstown?

As a current Board of Education member for the Struthers City Schools, I have seen our district electric rates rise over $300,000 in three years.

As the Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative for the 60th district, I will work with all politicians, investors, and companies to bring renewable energy companies to the valley as well as lower electric costs to our school districts and property owners. I have made this a major issue in my campaign, while Bob Hagan has remained silent on this issue. Bob Hagan does not have the vision or the ambition to get such programs started in the 60th district.

Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative-60th District

Campaign Web site: Http://votespisak.tripod.com