An American school used profits from placing solar panels on the building's roof and energy efficiency to raise teachers' salaries. Coming Soon? Ask your local authority
In a small town called Batesville in the state of Arkansas, United States, the local schools were in a severe budget crisis. In 2017, a local company for energy efficiency estimated that if the schools go through a process that includes replacing the heating, cooling and lighting infrastructure with economical systems and if a system of solar panels is installed in the high school - the institutions will be able to save about 2.4 million dollars in 20 years. In light of this, the director of the schools decided to promote the project.
Success was not long in coming. Within three years, the project significantly reduced the school's annual energy consumption. The district's deficit turned into a surplus. In light of the success, it was decided to direct a significant part of the surplus budget directly to the salaries of the teachers, who received a bonus of 3,000-2,000 dollars per year. Head of the schools administration He said On the successful initiative: "We decided to use the money to raise the teachers' salaries, thus also safeguarding the future of our students."
Here in Israel, the threat of a teachers' strike was only recently removed due to an agreement signed between the Ministry of Finance and the Teachers' Union. Up until that moment, the annual struggle for the improvement of the salary and working conditions of the teachers and the expansion of the teaching staff - was at its peak. Could environmental thinking have been useful in this case as well?
This is not America (yet).
study American From 2020, he presented a comprehensive review of the state of renewable energy in educational institutions in the US, with optimistic data for the future, and showed a significant increase of 81 percent in the transition to renewable energy and in the installation of solar panels in thousands of schools across the US between 2019-2014. According to the study, about 5.5 percent of US schools have already made use of solar panels in 2020. It is about 5.3 million students who study in schools where there are renewable energy infrastructures. According to the study, California is the American state where schools use the sun to the greatest extent: about a third of all schools in the US where solar panels are installed are in California. Furthermore, the study shows that if all public schools in the US switch to 100 percent solar energy use - the education system could lead to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions that would be equivalent to closing 18 coal-fired power plants.
And what about us? In Israel today, the regulation on the subject is complex and there is no law that requires local authorities to place solar panels on top of public buildings. The various government ministries do not have centralized data regarding the number of schools where solar systems are installed. Nevertheless, Uriel Babchik, director of the Sustainable Energy Division at the Ministry of Energy, claims that according to the ministry's estimates, there are hundreds of such educational buildings, and hundreds of other institutions that are in the process of installing systems of this type.
According to the data of the Ministry of Education, Israel has approximately 5,208 public educational institutions, the process of placing solar panels on their premises could significantly reduce the electricity and energy expenses of the local authorities where they are located. "The return on investment for such systems is 7-6 years, and the lifespan of the system is about 25 years, at least," Babchik testifies. "As part of a techno-economic examination, we saw that there is benefit to both the entrepreneur - the local authority - and viability to the economy."
What did we do?
About two years ago, the Ministry of Energy, in cooperation with the Lottery, established a loan fund for local authorities for the financing and installation of solar systems, to which 140 local authorities responded. Loans totaling NIS 154 million were distributed for the purpose of installing solar systems on 330 educational and public buildings throughout the country, and representatives of the authorities were trained to accompany the process.
A positive example of a local authority that initiated a transition to renewable energy on its own is the council Local ג'Lg'and Leah which has gone through a rather impressive energy efficiency process in recent years as the public buildings in the city, and especially the schools, are endowed with solar panels and are already generating financial profits. Additionally, Kfar Saba is among the Israeli leaders in this regard: By 2021, 45 solar systems have been installed in the city on municipal buildings, most of which are educational institutions.
Switch to solar
Despite the enormous environmental potential, the transition to renewable energy often depends on the goodwill of the local authorities, and not on a government decision. However, the situation may soon change.
August 2021, as part of the Settlements Law passage You decided government which stated that the installation of solar systems with a relatively weak minimum power of 15 kilowatts must be required in every new educational building (for comparison, the power of an electric boiler is About 2.5 kilowatts). This regulation will enter into force at the beginning of 2023. "As soon as the regulation is finally approved, the Ministry of Energy will examine measures to assist in the budget for the implementation of the projects. This is about 200-150 new educational buildings per year," Babchik testifies.
And what do the parents say about it? Objections to the subject are often heard, most of which stem from fear of exposing the children to electric radiation. The reluctance, which is usually based on an immediate panic at the word "radiation" - is unjustified in the current case: with a proper installation of a solar system there is no fear of high radiation values in the areas where the students stay at the schools. It is also worth noting that any electrical product emits electrical radiation, which is usually very weak and harmless. And of course, if you are concerned parents who still shy away from the subject - you can always take measurements after installation, even with the help of a personal and inexpensive electromagnetic radiation meter.
Will we soon be able to see profits from energy projects transferred as bonuses to teachers, as is done in the USA? Depends on the priorities of your local authority. "The revenues from renewable energy production go into the coffers of the local authority and it is the one that determines the priorities for how the budget is used," explains Babchik, and concludes. "We encourage any local authority that chooses to go in the sustainable direction." So what do you say, for next year - a solar system above the classroom?
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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A small correction, a new salary agreement was not signed with the teachers, but agreements were reached with the teachers' union.
The Ministry of Finance has not yet found a budget for the agreement, so it has not been signed...
Not so simple, and perhaps the emphasis is on regulation and making the issue accessible to municipalities.
A case that happened in an elementary school in Ramat Gan:
The municipality decided to install panels on the roof of the school without first consulting the parents (as is done in other municipalities). Questions start popping up:
A. The system is divided into two parts: from the panels to the converter AC flows, from which there is radiation and as I recall it is not easy to wire so that the cables are far enough away from the children. DC is already coming out of the converter and there is indeed no radiation there.
B. On the roof of the building, which is old anyway and certainly not earthquake resistant, 3.5 tons of panels were loaded.
When we asked for a stability report for the building, the municipality avoided it in every possible way and in the end had to renovate - probably not at a high level.
In conclusion: it would be good for Uriel Babchik from the Ministry of Energy to issue standards and trainings for the municipalities, because it seems that it is too much for them to deal with the issue alone.