Solar power for educational institutions gives hope and strength to the fight against climate change. For students in schools, the experience of being in a sustainable environment inspires them for a sustainable future. Schools have this responsibility and opportunity to guide students toward an environment-friendly approach in life. With massive built structures, flat roofs, and open spaces, the school is the best choice for technologies like solar energy and their implementation. So why are solar panels good for schools? Or how do solar rooftops benefit schools? These questions can be answered with one word i.e. sustainability. To answer these in a little brief, solar energy for schools is environment-friendly, socially acceptable, and economically beneficial.

 

To elaborate one by one on how solar for schools is sustainable and what are the benefits of solar panels in schools:

• Economically beneficial: Sun is a free source of light and heat energy. Converting this free source to electricity with the help of solar photovoltaic panels or heat energy with the help of solar thermal technology is economically rewarding.

Schools with flat roofs or slanting roofs all can benefit from this technology. Compared to residential buildings and other commercial buildings, the area covered by schools is more. Installation of solar panels on roofs, parking lots, and ground or for shade gives immense possibilities to use this free source. The bigger the installation, the quicker the payback time and this is ideal for schools as solar energy produced during the day is consumed during the day. The question of the intermittency of solar power does not affect its installation in schools as consumption is high during the day. At Fryer Energy, we can contemplate the school’s energy usage and demand to give the best possible solar installation scenario with the quickest payback period. This in turn reduces operating costs and increases economic benefits.

• Environment friendly: It is a fact that schools or any other electricity-consuming entity connected to a conventional grid are not environmentally friendly. The reason is, at present electricity grid, is mostly powered by coal or other thermal power plants. These thermal power plants are causing global warming and climate change because of greenhouse gas emissions from them collectively called carbon emissions.

Solar energy is environment friendly as no emissions are caused while generating electricity or heat. Sun’s light is directly converted to electricity with the use of solar photovoltaic panels. The same is the case for generating hot water or steam from solar thermal panels. Being environment-friendly is an example for students, faculty, and everyone around.

• Socially acceptable: There are no emissions, no noise, or any disturbing sight from the installation of solar panels. In another sense, it is denoted as a technologically advanced way to be present in today’s world. Public relations and social responsibility are adhered to with the use of solar energy on the campus.

Other benefits of solar energy in schools like press coverage to be technologically advanced and environment-friendly nature, independent from conventional grid and prices, low maintenance of the whole system gives more reasons to adapt to solar technology. Freyr Energy has installed solar in colleges like HPS Hyderabad, Balaji Institute of Technology and Science, and RKGEF (Raj Kumar Goel Educational Foundation).