Greenskies Clean Focus is financing solar energy on the roofs of seven schools and the District Administration Building for Piscataway Township Schools in New Jersey – at no upfront cost to the district through a 15-year solar purchase agreement (Solar PPA). In total, Greenskies’ portfolio in Piscataway is 1.67 MW (3,700 solar panels).
The solar PPA agreement of Green skies allows the Piscataway District to purchase the electricity generated at a low, fixed rate and outsource the operation and maintenance costs to Greenskies for the term. During those fifteen years, the solar energy projects will offset approximately 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
“The installation of this solar portfolio marks an important step toward their goals, and we are thrilled to play a role in reducing their carbon footprint,” said Stanley Chin, president and CEO of Greenskies. “This initiative is an example of the positive impact organizations can have on the environment and their communities through clean energy solutions.”
Greenskies-Piscataway District solar PPA locations
Piscataway Township Schools are no strangers to solar energy; In fact, solar projects funded through solar PPAs have been a key component of the District’s Energy Savings Improvement Plan (ESIP).
“It has been fifteen years since we started installing solar panels on our schools; we were really at the forefront of that initiative,” said David Oliveira, business administrator and board secretary of Piscataway Township Schools. “We have added a number of solar panels over the years and Greenskies has become an important partner. I would also like to thank our Board of Education for their commitment to using less energy and reducing our environmental footprint.”
The new solar sites include:
- Eisenhower Elementary School (243.00 kW)
- Grandview Primary School (266.40 kW)
- Knollwood primary school (189.90 kW)
- Arbor high school (54.00 kW)
- ML King High School (271.35 kW)
- T. Schor Secondary School (270.00 kW)
- Piscataway High School (221.40 kW)
- Administration building (151.20 kW)
In addition to solar panels, Piscataway schools have installed more efficient heating and cooling systems, LED lighting, light switches with motion detectors and better insulated windows and doors as part of the ESIP. The district expects the improvements will generate $18 million in savings over 18 years, which it will use to pay for the upgrades.
Because of these efforts, the federal Energy Star program has recognized Piscataway Township Schools for two consecutive years. In 2022, four Piscataway schools were designated as Energy Star Certified Buildings by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Then, in 2023, all ten district-owned school buildings were certified by the Energy Star program – more than any other school district in New Jersey.
“This is an incredible achievement for our district,” said Superintendent Dr. Frank Ranelli. “It is also a tribute to the years of hard work that our board of education and administration have put into making our buildings more energy efficient, as well as the continued contributions of all our employees to make energy conservation a priority. We are doing everything we can to do our part to protect the environment and public health while saving on energy costs.”
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