PSS ‘green energy’ project seeks $4.1M funding

The Public School System will seek about $4.1 million in federal assistance for its “Green Energy School Project,” which aims to realize substantial energy savings for its schools.

The goal is to establish the Saipan Southern High School as a pilot school for green energy, with energy savings projected to exceed 80 percent by project completion.

The project, according to PSS and the Board of Education, began the initial phase in January when SSHS built a single Skystream Wind generation system and three solar panels to support the school’s water needs and provide power to two model classrooms within its science department building.

PSS proposes to enter into the second phase in SY 2009-2010 with the involvement of the entire school system. The project is expected to take up to SY 2011-2012.

Phase two comprises a full grid tie-in of solar arrays and several windmills capable of producing more than 120kw in renewable energy, allowing school to continue operations even with major islandwide or short-term outages.

PSS reported that in the past six years, there have been several major and minor power interruptions that keep disrupting school operations. These outages also cause damage to equipment and critical failures result in closure of rooms and even the whole school at times.

“This problem provided the catalyst for the schools’ development of renewable energy, not only to preserve instruction and learning but to use this project to further enhance the island’s power needs through the use of ‘net metering’ technology that provides renewable energy back to the public utilities and ultimately reducing the need for power plant production,” the PSS proposal states, adding that in 10 years the energy needs of not only CNMI but the nation will be higher than ever.

Along with the grid-tie in solar and wind generation, classroom energy conservation techniques will also be undertaken and each classroom will be retrofitted with electronic ballasts and highly efficient lighting fixtures that will replace the old magnetic ballast and bulbs. This will save 75 percent more energy in the classroom.

‘Actual cost breakdown’

From the proposed $4.1 million funding, PSS will allocate $1.2 million for wind generation, which will comprise six turbine units, $456,996; transfer switch, $240,000; inverter equipment, $210,000; and cables, $325,000.

For solar generation, $2.5 million will be used for 160 solar panels, $1.1 million; transfer switch, $220,000; inverter equipment, $210,000; cable/wirings, $125,000; solar hallway retrofit, $415,000; solar external lighting, $120,000; and solar parking structure, $280,000.

Additional installation is estimated to cost $326,000: solar array installation, $122,000; steel beam placement, $76,000; electrical wiring, $80,000; and concrete footings, $48,000.

PSS proposes $114,000 for permits and warranty.

The project’s expansion to different public schools is projected to cost $6.3 million.