A meeting of the Hopatcong Borough Zoning Board on June 8, 2011, will set the stage for the installation of a major Public School Solar Initiative scheduled to be operational by the fall of 2011.
The Hopatcong Borough Public Schools will install a solar array in partnership with SP-One, the Spiezle Group, and Sun Edison. The SP-One Group is a leader in the alternative energy arena with over 25 years in energy development and extensive experience with the Federal and local governments. Some of the public sector clients are the United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Agriculture, and the City of Philadelphia. In the private sector clients include IKEA, George Washington University Hospital, UPS, Mobil Oil, Pathmark, and many others. Sun Edison is the largest solar energy service provider in North America and among the fastest growing international solar companies worldwide.
The proposed solar installation on property owned or controlled by the Hopatcong Borough Board of Education will include three Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants interconnected to the Hopatcong School Board, Hopatcong High School, Hopatcong Middle School, Durban Avenue School, Tulsa Trail School, and the Maintenance Complex.
The system will generate over two million Kilowatt Hours of electricity per year. The cost savings will reduce the Board of Education’s cost of electricity from $0.15 to $0.05 per Kilowatt Hour. The annual real savings will be about $175,000 per year or in excess of $3.3 million dollars over the fifteen year period, with no increase in the cost for electricity.
In addition to the savings on the overall cost of electricity, the solar project will provide $585,000 in new or replacement roofing for Durban Avenue School and Hopatcong Middle School. A science curriculum component will be included in future years that includes a job training element. “The overall adaption and conversion to solar power represents a major step forward for the Hopatcong School and Community,” stated Charles Maranzano, Superintendent, “ This project places Hopatcong, New Jersey, in the forefront of progressive School Districts.” Neil Piro is the Hopatcong Schools Facilities Project Manager and Terry Sierchio is the School Business Administrator.
