A Pennsylvania school district has unveiled a solar array that will generate 1.2 megawatts of power while teaching about the power of clean renewable energy.
The Carlisle School District has the 5,192 panel array, designed by Henkels & McCoy, Inc., headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania with panels from Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. It’s one of the largest arrays in the state:
The new ground-mount solar array includes 1,227 kW of Sharp’s 240 W monocrystalline panels and 9.2 kW of Sharp’s 115 W framed thin film panels, allowing students to study and compare the performance of both technologies. This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority. The Project was also funded by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority using monies from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Additional Funding will be provided to the school district under the ACT 129 renewable energy rebate program.
“We’re thrilled that the largest solar installation at a Pennsylvania school district is here in Carlisle,” said John Freind, Superintendent of the Carlisle Area School District. “Bringing the message of the importance of renewable energy sources to our students will help create a greener future. It’s a win for our students, for the state and for the future of our planet,” he said.
“We are very honored to have participated in this landmark and visionary project from the start. It is extremely gratifying to see the involvement of local labor in an initiative with so many benefits to the community. The Carlisle Area School District has our sincere best wishes for long-term success,” stated Rod Henkels, President and CEO of Henkels & McCoy.
“Sharp is delighted to work with Henkel’s & McCoy to help the Carlisle Area School District educate its students about renewable energy while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint,” said Eric Hafter, senior vice president of Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. “Renewable energy projects such as this one are not only good for the environment – they’re good for the economy as well as we they create new green jobs here in Pennsylvania and nationwide.”
The Sharp solar panels are built rugged to put up with tough operating conditions, while giving great solar power output.