Timing was right for solar investments at Edina Public Schools

Eric Hamilton, Director of Buildings & Grounds at Edina Public Schools, navigated the bidding process and managed the projects with support from CERTs Solar Possible effort.

“It was a longer, slower and more complicated process than I imagined, when we first started,” explained Hamilton. “It was a wise choice to work with CERTs and the University of Minnesota to help with the vetting process of potential installers. An early meeting with our attorney, who had worked on solar deals, would have saved me some time and energy. So, I’d recommend school districts involve even more people from the start.”

Ultimately, the district selected SolarPod, a Minnesota-based renewable energy and engineering consulting company, to help create project plans and lead installation, permitting, and commissioning of all three projects. The team evaluated which facilities would work best for the planned investments.

Based on requirements at each site, the three projects relied on different racking technology and used innovations in ballasting to reduce raw inputs. Reducing materials such as concrete when mounting solar arrays can lead to more energy savings over the life cycle of the projects.

“These projects were unique in that we used Minnesota-patented technologies: our no-penetration SolarPod Z-Rack system on the sloped roof of the Transportation Building and our Z-Lite system on Cornelia’s flat roof,” said Dr. Mouli Vaidyanathan, CEO of SolarPod and project lead. “These technologies and our ballasting that holds the systems down use less concrete than typical solar installations. So, the roof will be cooler, and there is a lower climate impact from the materials we use, since concrete is a big emitter of greenhouse gases.”

In addition to the unique technologies used, Dr. Vaidyanathan spoke to the importance of having an active partnership with the district, especially while navigating some unexpected delays during the process.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic this spring and some delays from that and other factors, it was superb working with Eric and Edina Public Schools. The experience has been a great partnership — it’s been a team-oriented approach to execute these projects, and we’ve learned important lessons about working with schools,” said Vaidyanathan.

Part of Vaidyanathan and SolarPod’s commitment in their partnership with Edina Public Schools and Project Earth students has been to provide in-kind teaching support to students interested in learning more about clean energy and solar technology.

“We have installed a very unique teaching system for students for Edina High School. I have a promise to the Edina students that I’ll teach them on the system free of cost each year, in the coming years,” Vaidyanathan said. “I’m happy to give my time to explain the system and how students can get involved in solar energy. We’ve added so many features to that demonstration project that students can learn from.”

Project Earth students point to the importance of having tangible educational opportunities to connect to clean energy that can inspire more action and engagement.

“With these installations and especially the one at the high school, our main goal was to have an educational purpose, to have classroom applications, to encourage engagement of students and participation in actions we have in the future,” said Martinez about the educational benefits these projects can have for students.

With these projects completed, the district has started reaping rewards in the form of lower energy bills and is getting good marks from active students and community members, who see the environmental benefits these projects provide.

“I think it’s really important for schools to take initiative, to set an example for their students and others, and to take leadership on sustainability and clean energy,” said Martinez. “I’m glad that our school district is noticing the need to be a leader and taking the actions they are. While there’s a lot of work still to do, I’m glad that we’re starting to take the steps we’re taking.”