Solar Installation

By Mr Glenn Campbell (Business Manager)

Over recent weeks, you may have noticed some movement on the roofs of BHCS.  Thankfully it has not been a possum invasion or anything untoward, but we have commenced the exciting installation of three separate solar power systems.

These new systems, with a combined output of 100KW (Kilowatts), will replace our existing 2KW system that was installed 10 years ago.  It certainly shows the advancements in technology in the systems that are now available.

The benefits of this installation are threefold:

1) Environmental Benefits

As a school we actively work to limit the impact on our surroundings and to teach students a variety of environmental programs.  Additionally, our intention is to reduce the financial impact of our day to day running costs.  Through this implementation, the school will save in excess of 64% of its peak power usage costs.  Consequently, we will save at least 260 tonnes of Co2 per annum!  This is the equivalent of 28.1 homes energy use for one year. 

2) Educational Benefits

Through the design and installation of three individual systems on various locations throughout the school (please see the below aerial view map), we now have the ability to actively monitor and assess data to each panel and its overall performance. We look forward to studying this information with our students who can compare panel location, temperature, sun exposure and orientation vs output and a variety of other impacting factors.

Additionally, our now “old” solar power system will be relocated and our VCAL students can study the new vs old technology, how battery storage works (i.e. feeding back to the grid) and assessing how we can potentially introduce this solar generated electricity to a new area of the school.

3) Financial Benefits

As to be expected, there has been a financial expense to the school to introduce the new solar power system.  However, with new technology we are thrilled that we should recover the initial capital outlay within three years.  When comparing this to a domestic installation where the timeframe for “paying off” your solar unit is 7 – 10 years, this is fantastic!  We are also thrilled that we anticipate saving approximately $45,000 per annum on our electricity costs.

Should you have any questions regarding the system or educational programs that are anticipated to be introduced, please do not hesitate to speak with your child's teacher or contact me via Reception.

Below is an image of the anticipated panel layout