Arizona District Powers Schools with On-Campus Solar Energy Installations

  • By Kevin Hudson
  • 02/28/13

Tanque Verde Unified School District in Tucson, AZ, is going green on all four of its campuses with solar power installations expected to generate 2 million kilowatt-hours each year.

The district expects the installations to cover 70 percent of the energy usage across the four campuses, according to district superintendent Douglas Price.

The schools--Tanque Verde Elementary School, Aqua Caliente Elementary School, Emily Gray Junior High School, and Tanque Verde High School--were outfitted with more than 4,000 solar modules in a combination of rooftop systems and shade structures by Solon. The Tucson-based company engineered, designed, constructed, and commissioned the systems, and will also operate and maintain them.

The district avoided any upfront investment in the Solon solar installations--the construction of which employed 60 Arizona workers, including 25 from the local community--by partnering with MP2 Capital and Tucson Electric Power (TEP). The partnership includes a 25-year solar services agreement under which MP2 Capital will sell all of the power generated from the systems to the school, while local utility provider Tucson Electric Power has agreed to purchase all of the environmental attributes generated by the system in the form of renewable energy credits.

"The Tanque Verde School District will receive not only the benefits of clean electricity for 25 years but the lasting legacy of environmental consciousness fostered within its schoolrooms," said Jeff Glavan, managing director of MP2 Capital, in a release.

Solon is also providing an education package to the school district, including classroom monitoring of the systems' outputs, along with access to the performance and weather data. In addition, a renewable energy curriculum for elementary, middle and high school levels has been designed by TEP and meets Arizona state curriculum standards, according to a release.

About the Author

Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.