FENNIMORE, Wis. (WKOW) — A neighborhood technical school is taking a giant inexperienced step this summer season as development begins on a 300-kilowatt photo voltaic panel array this fall.Â
Southwest Tech workers say they’ve upgraded LED lighting, energy-efficient boilers and water heaters and put in gentle sensors in a lot of the buildings over the previous few years. Now, they’re taking a extra aggressive method to sustaining photo voltaic panels that cowl practically three-quarters of an acre on campus.Â
“The actually cool factor that is actually particular about this mission is that it has battery storage in it, which isn’t quite common,” mentioned Director of Grants for Southwest Tech, Amy Seeboth-Wilson. “It’s changing into extra frequent round producers. But we’ll be one of many first to do it in a non-manufacturing setting in Wisconsin.”
Seeboth-Wilson says when the photo voltaic panels generate electrical energy, that energy is straight away used or despatched again to the grid. Battery storage will present them with funds within the wet season.Â
Staff say they really need college students to be concerned within the course of, they only aren’t positive what they will do.Â
“We will completely stand there watching, “mentioned the Sustainable Energy Managment Instructor, Ashley Wojtalewicz. “But what stage of palms for the development half, we aren’t positive. However, when the array is full, there might be a monitoring platform in order that we will log on and see how a lot we’re producing and the way a lot electrical energy we’re utilizing. So, college students can see and manipulate that.”Â
The faculty says this mission is made attainable by grant funding from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and tax credit by way of the Inflation Reduction Act. Southwest Tech says the mission is estimated to save lots of the faculty about $30,000 a 12 months in utility prices.Â
Staff say the hope is that individuals will start to see these financial savings and make comparable adjustments to their properties.Â
“We need the typical southwest Wisconsin family to know that photo voltaic is one thing they will use, which may also help save them cash in the event that they do it proper,” Seeboth-Wilson mentioned. “There’s a complete bunch of federal funding coming in proper now for residential photo voltaic funding.”Â
The photo voltaic panels will start to be delivered this summer season, with estimated availability in March 2025.