How I got solar installed at my NSW school – and how you could, too

One Step Off The Grid

One of the major NSW election promises of both major parties is the installation of solar panels on schools. But the question is, why don’t schools – in particular state-owned schools – already have solar installed?

My name is Kal Glanznig. I graduated from high-school last year and throughout my final year I single-handedly organised, lobbied and arranged funds for a $100,000, 100kW solar panel installation for my school in Sydney’s south.

From this experience, I have shown that any passionate student or individual can do the same for their own school.

As a regular reader of RenewEconomy, with a keen interest in the transition to renewable energy, I often wondered why my high school wasn’t powered by renewable energy. The solar PV bell curve perfectly aligns with the weekday energy demands of a school.

I approached my principal with this question, to which he suggested that a better way to reduce a school’s electricity footprint was to switch our lightbulbs to LEDs and promote energy saving measures; installing solar was too much of a convoluted and complicated process.

I respected his views, but decided to do my own research.

Read the full story on RenewEconomy sister site, One Step Off The Grid…