Images courtesy of the Boys & Women Golf equipment of the Rogue Valley
The Boys & Women Golf equipment of the Rogue Valley serve a crucial want in Southern Oregon, offering a optimistic, enjoyable and protected after-school place for youngsters in grades Okay-12. With assist from Power Belief of Oregon, the nonprofit not too long ago put in a second photo voltaic power undertaking, this time at their Illinois Valley Membership in Kerby. Photo voltaic helps to decrease power payments and unencumber extra {dollars} for staffing and companies for the children.
With six golf equipment within the Grants Move space serving 3,600 college students, the Boys & Women Golf equipment group runs on a decent funds. One of many largest bills is electrical energy. “Serving as many kids as we do means our bills are huge, notably the price of working the buildings,” mentioned Greg Roe, govt director.
True South Photo voltaic, an Power Belief commerce ally contractor, put in the 51.35-kilowatt photo voltaic system on the roof of the 20,000-square-foot Illinois Valley Membership facility. The system is estimated to generate greater than 78,000 kilowatt-hours of fresh electrical energy per 12 months, which interprets into value financial savings. Mixed with the estimated 100,000 kWh generated by the 64.78-kW photo voltaic system on the Grants Move Membership, the financial savings are vital.
“We’re saving as much as one-half on our power payments,” mentioned Roe. “That’s hundreds of {dollars} saved on working prices that are actually serving to us maintain staffing at a stage that finest serves youngsters and households in our space.”
The group can be saving on power payments because of an LED lighting improve at their Grants Move location that trimmed power use by 87,400 kWh. Power Belief incentives totaling $14,000 made the undertaking attainable.
Photo voltaic a “no-brainer”
Roe had seen photo voltaic in motion on the Boys & Women Membership in Albany and thought it may very well be a superb possibility in Grants Move. “Now we have quite a lot of solar in Southern Oregon, so panels are a no brainer.” His colleague in Albany assured him it was worthwhile, so Roe contacted Pacific Energy to study extra about getting a undertaking going, which led him to Power Belief and True South Photo voltaic.
Power Belief was in a position to assist the Boys & Women Golf equipment of Rogue Valley with $24,000 in whole money incentives for the 2 photo voltaic initiatives. Stacking these incentives with Blue Sky® neighborhood undertaking grants by means of Pacific Energy and a grant by means of the Spherical Home Basis for the Illinois Valley Membership undertaking made photo voltaic a actuality.
“We wouldn’t have accomplished the photo voltaic undertaking with out Power Belief and Blue Sky,” mentioned Roe. “It might have taken too lengthy to comprehend the financial savings with out their assist up entrance.”
Whereas value financial savings have been the foremost motivator for including photo voltaic, the Boys & Women Golf equipment have included photo voltaic of their actions and programming too. Studying about renewable power and its reference to the surroundings is a part of the group’s science, expertise, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) program.
Roe intends to proceed the photo voltaic journey for the Rogue Valley golf equipment. There are plans to construct a brand new 25,000-square-foot facility in Expertise inside the subsequent 5 years and Roe has pulled True South Photo voltaic into the design part. “We hope that this constructing might be internet zero for carbon emissions, and being solar-ready throughout building will assist with that.” Power Belief’s Path to Web Zero providing is poised to assist this undertaking attain its objectives.
If you happen to’d prefer to study extra about how photo voltaic may also help your group cut back prices and turn into extra power resilient, contact Power Belief to get a no-cost customized evaluation and bid.
