We brought a solar demonstration project to the Tucson Hebrew Academy
In 2004, one of our members had a brainstorm. She told us about Tucson Electric Power’s (TEP) solar demonstration projects available to public schools and non-profit organizations – TEP GreenWatts subscribers fund generous donations of equipment to make these projects happen.
To make a very long story short, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) applied, and the project was approved. To our great delight, the TEP site engineer determined that the best location to install solar panels on the entire JFSA campus was the south facing side of the Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA); the existing metal shade structures over the classrooms provided a ready made base for the panels. If you think this was a quick and easy process, think again. It took FOUR YEARS from brainstorm to dedication of the solar array. The permitting and design process seemed endless, and our own SAZ COEJL project leader thought we’d never see this project come alive.
Finally, in May 2007, a small army of volunteer installers working with George Villec of GeoInnovation, our project engineer, got the panels, the wiring and the meter installed by the time school was over for the year. Five 175W panels were mounted on four existing window shades facing south, providing exposure to the playgrounds, and maximum visibility to students and the public. Rabbi Tom Louchheim, Congregation Or Chadash, blessed the installation as the crews got going.
That summer, we began talks with THA about a celebration and ceremony to officially dedicate the array. On February , 2008, the auditorium at THA was packed with students and friends.
Sunny GreenWatts was on hand to mark the occasion; Councilman Rodney Glassman took the stage; and COEJL chair Susan Kaplan performed a rousing rap on the mitvzah of preserving and protecting the environment. A presentation on energy and a live demonstration of “how long do you have to pedal a bicycle to light up incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs” drove home how easy it is to save energy and not suffer.
Cantor Janece Cohen led the students in a rousing rendition of “You Are My Sunshine” and “Let the Sun Shine”. Rabbi Billy blessed the installation, everyone filed out to see it, up close and personal, and everyone walked by the meter and the signage designed specifically to commemorate this project.
Whenever we’re at THA, we look at the meter, running backwards and the monitor that shows how much energy has been generated to date and how much has been generated on a given day. We estimate that about 5% of THA’s power is generated by solar energy. On a sunny winter day, about 20 killowat hours (kwh) are generated by the sun. Future plans include developing projects with THA students to monitor and track how much energy is generated, and working with the THA administration to determine the savings from electricity “not purchased” but generated solely by one of the most wonderful renewable clean energy sources in the world, the sun.
