Bald Eagle Area School District (PA) Selects Rooftop Photovoltaic System from Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, and Smart Energy Capital
First photovoltaic system on central PA school to provide long-term energy savings
Beachwood, Ohio (PRWEB) May 14, 2010
Benefiting from a $1.4 million State of Pennsylvania grant that encourages solar energy projects, the Bald Eagle Area School District has entered into an agreement with Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance (Tremco) and Smart Energy Capital (SEC) on the purchase, installation and long-term use of two rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. The systems will be installed at Wingate Elementary School and the Bald Eagle Middle/High School. The Bald Eagle Area School District serves 12 communities in the northern portion of Centre County.
Under the terms of the agreement, SEC BESD Solar One LLC, a division of Smart Energy Capital, owns the systems and will sell power to the two schools under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) at a fixed rate per kilowatt hour for 25 years. The district will purchase 100% of the power that the two systems generate; combined, this will provide more than 50% of the schools' electricity demands. Annually, the middle/high school system will generate approximately 670,000 kWh of solar electricity while the elementary school system will produce about 300,000 kWh. Tremco will install and provide long-term maintenance for the systems. Installation is expected to begin this summer and be completed by the time school begins in the fall. New Tremco roofs were recently installed on the two schools as part of a $26 million renovation project.
Tremco Roofing and Smart Energy Capital are partnering to bring rooftop photovoltaic systems and affordable PPAs to customers in education, healthcare, government, commercial and other markets nationwide.
According to Superintendent Dan Fisher, the district will incur no costs to have these systems installed or maintained. Mr. Fisher said, "This is a wonderful opportunity to support the green initiative, reduce energy costs, and provide an educational experience for our students. For example, an internet-based monitoring program will enable our students to see how much power is being generated by the PV systems in real time."
Ralph Velasquez, director of Tremco Roofing’s Sustainable Technologies Group, said “It’s an honor to be associated with school districts like Bald Eagle Area, which have the vision to embrace technologies that help lower operational costs while improving the environment. We look forward to working with them and their students for a very long time.”
According to SEC Managing Partner Konstantin Braun, “This is an excellent example of how forward-thinking districts, such as Bald Eagle Area, can show both environmental and financial stewardship to the community. The opportunities for education will help students growing up in a world that will place increasing emphasis on managing our resources.”
About Bald Eagle Area School District
The Bald Eagle Area School District is located in the northern portion of Centre County. Formed in 1952, it is the largest, geographically, of the four school districts located entirely in Centre County. The district is composed of 12 communities, encompasses 342.6 square miles and serves a population of almost 13,000 individuals. The district is proud to offer an academically-challenging educational experience that will prepare Bald Eagle Area students for any career they may wish to pursue. In short, the district walks its talk in its guiding slogan, "We Teach for Success."
About Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance
Headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance helps manage building life cycles while providing roofing and weatherproofing peace of mind to customers in education, healthcare, government, manufacturing and many other industries. In business since 1928, Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance is a division of Tremco Incorporated, which is itself part of the RPM Building Solutions Group, an international leader in the construction, maintenance and repair markets. Tremco Roofing works closely with Tremco Incorporated subsidiary WTI, which provides general contracting and roofing services; both Tremco Roofing and WTI are ISO 9001:2000 certified. To learn more about us, visit http://www. tremcoroofing. com (http://www. tremcoroofing. com) or call toll-free at 800-562-2728.
About Smart Energy Capital
Smart Energy Capital is a finance and investment company focused exclusively on the North American solar photovoltaic industry. The company works with a wide range of entities, including equipment manufacturers, installers, developers, real estate and building services companies, construction companies, real estate owners and power purchase agreement providers. By accessing capital from diverse sources and optimizing financing structures, the company enables widespread deployment of solar photovoltaic projects. Please visit our website at www. smartenergycapital. com.
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