Staff
The Rainy River District School Board announced yesterday afternoon that Honeywell is installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at Fort Frances High School, which will generate more than $105,000 in revenue from selling the power generated to the Ontario Power Authority’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program.
“Our goal is to provide our students the highest quality of education in modernized facilities,” said Raymond Roy, the board’s manager of plant operations and maintenance.
“We are excited to implement a solar power system at Fort Frances High School, as it will serve as a valuable teaching tool and help us drive the future of our community’s environmental well-being,” he added.
The 100-kilowatt system, consisting of more than 500 individual solar PV panels, is being installed on the school’s rooftop.
It also will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 118 metric tons annually.
The board expects the savings from the energy retro-fit program, which are guaranteed through a performance contract with Honeywell, to pay for energy-efficiency upgrades to 11 of its buildings.
It also is using grants from the Ministry of Education’s Energy Efficient School Stimulus funding to support the improvements.
As such, the work should not increase operating budgets nor require additional taxpayer funding.
The solar PV installation and energy-saving upgrades are expected to be complete by August.
All of this work builds on previous facility improvements managed by Honeywell, which have saved the local public board more than $615,000 in utility and operating costs since 2005.
“We’re excited to be able to deliver bottom-line energy savings while improving the district’s school and providing educational opportunities,” said Luis Rodrigues, vice-president of energy solutions for Honeywell Building Solutions.
“Through the technologies they’re integrating into their schools, the Rainy River District School Board will provide the region with long-term energy and environmental savings,” he added.
