CRAWLEY, W.Va. – The largest district-owned solar energy system in West Virginia’s public schools was unveiled Thursday in Greenbrier County.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the solar array, a collection of connected solar panels, was held at Western Greenbrier Middle School in Crawley.
In August 2024, Greenbrier County Schools installed a ground-source heat pump system and solar array. These clean energy technologies are expected to generate a $2 million federal reimbursement, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and significantly boost energy efficiency.
The school system partnered with Lewisburg-based CMTA Engineering on this and other energy savings projects that will save the school system money.
“Our number one goal at Greenbrier County Schools is to provide what’s best for our students and staff and we strive to have some of the greatest facilities, with our challenges with our budgets, it gets difficult. And one of the challenges is our energy costs, because every year they continue to grow. And it makes it very, very hard for us to do what we want to do,” said Board of Education President Jeanie Wyatt.
Wyatt said that partnering with CMTA the facilities are state of the art, sustainable and energy efficient.
“We don’t have to rely on outside resources for our energy. We are going to cut our energy costs but we are also going to make dividends for the county,” she said.
Greenbrier County Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Bryant said the significant difference it will make in energy costs and the comfort it will provide for students and teachers is “truly remarkable.”
“They are taking advantage at a crucial time with the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides incentives for solar and geothermal. It’s going to equate to approximately $2 million in additional funding for the project,” said Jacob Evans, CMTA Project Manager.
While the ground-source heat pumps were under construction, students toured the construction site and learned about renewable energy from the construction team. Teachers plan to expand on this learning opportunity using an educational solar dashboard, and an interactive, outdoor learning space that models the school building and the renewable energy systems.
Copyright 2024 WVVA. All rights reserved.