Lessons on sustainability go a long way at a school in Kaimuki. Thanks to a solar installation company, the school will save about $11,000 a year in energy costs.
Students at Waialae Elementary School soak up the sun during recess. All that sunshine is going to be put to even more good use when a photovoltaic system is installed.
"We're just so excited that we got this process and by the end of the calendar year we should have our full system here on this school," said Principal Wendy Lagaretta.
The school has signed an agreement with Sunetric solar energy company, which will install 556 panels that will generate power for the school. There are no up front costs. The school just pays for its electricity to Sunetric at a discounted price, saving about $11,000 a year.
"In the end they get to use clean green reusable energy for cheaper than what they would have to pay the utility company," said Sunetric CEO Alex Tiller.
The principal of the charter school says it's part of the school mission to be socially responsible and cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions is a good example. Also, the money saved can pay for other school programs.
"There are always classroom initiatives that are going on that we can use that money for. So with costs going up, every dollar that we can save means a dollar that we can put back into the classroom," Lagaretta says.
Sunetric has provided similar arrangements with a dozen other non-profit organizations like schools and churches. And the company says it has no reason to stop. Getting the photovolatic systems in schools is a good way to show students what it means to be good stewards of the environment.
"Why not start with the people that really make that difference? We believe that everybody in Hawaii should have that solar on their roof very soon and schools is the best place to start," Tiller says.
For the school, it only gets better in the long run. It will eventually own the system outright, and will not have to pay for its electricity at all.
