Black Rock Solar began construction in late February on two new Carson City area photovoltaic arrays: 324 ground-mounted panels at Sierra Lutheran High School and 193 rooftop panels at Silver State Charter Schools.
That means 135 kW of clean energy from the sun powering the 91-student Christian school and the 7th to 12th-grade charter school. It also means an annual utility-bill savings of more than $19,000 for the two schools – that’s $19,000 that can go toward expanded educational opportunities within the Carson City and Douglas County communities.
"We are delighted to provide low-cost high-quality solar energy to these schools,” said Paddy McCully, Executive Director of Black Rock Solar. “In doing so we're both helping reduce pollution and saving the schools thousands of dollars on their power bills."
Scheduled for completion in mid-March, these arrays will produce enough sustainable energy to power 40 homes each year. The arrays are mainly funded through NV Energy SolarGenerations rebates.
“Schools throughout Nevada have benefited from NV Energy’s SolarGenerations program, which is funded by electric customers through their monthly power bills,” said John Hargrove, Manager of the NV Energy’s Renewable Energy Programs. “Nevada’s Legislature created the rebate program 11 years ago to encourage Nevadans to invest in renewable energy. Since then, Nevada schools have installed 249 photovoltaic solar projects that are generating more than 20 megawatts of electricity, and they have received approximately $90 million in rebates from SolarGenerations to offset project costs.”
With the completion of these arrays, Black Rock Solar will have installed 787 kW of renewable energy at twelve K-12 schools throughout Nevada.
“Black Rock Solar is to be applauded for their efforts to hold down installation costs for our schools,” Hargrove said. “We look forward to working closely with them in the future to install more solar at Nevada schools.”
Silver State Charter School is located at 788 Fairview Drive in Carson City, and Sierra Lutheran High School is located at 3601 Romans Road in Douglas County.
Black Rock Solar is a Reno-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization focused on speeding the adoption of clean energy through installation, education, and energy efficiency. By installing solar at low or no cost for schools, tribes, rural communities, and other non-profits, Black Rock Solar puts much needed funds directly into the hands of those who need it most.