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Follow on Google News | Community Rallies Behind Solar Project to Help Gulf Islands Secondary StudentsBy: Salt Spring Island Community Energy Group Last weekend saw the panels and equipment delivered and placed on the gym roof, with work scheduled to begin this week. Once completed, the array of 84 solar panels will be the largest school-based solar photovoltaic array in British Columbia and the seventh-largest grid-tied solar installation in the province. Energy savings from the array are expected to exceed $2000 annually, and will be used to fund Solar Scholarships for students pursuing careers in climate science, renewable energy, and related trades. The system is expected to provide scholarships for 25 to 30 years or more. In addition, the project will promote renewable energy education in the school district and greater community, and provide electric vehicle charging capacity. Over 140 generous individuals, groups and businesses contributed during the fundraising campaign. Local business sponsors include Pharmasave, Windsor Plywood, Slegg Lumber, Mouat’s, Country Grocer and Thrifty’s. Organizations that helped include the Lions Club, the Mauro Family Foundation, the Saanich Gulf Islands Green Party, the local NDP Club, the 2014 GISS Reunion, the Only Planet Cabaret, the Gulf Islands Retired Teachers Association, the Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club, and the Raging Grannies. A matching fund created by Vince and Maggie Argiro doubled the value of donations made until Canada Day. With a total project cost of $106,000, additional funding came from a $20K matching grant from Bullfrog Power, through their Bullfrog Builds Renewable Accelerator Program, which provides critical financial support for the development of new renewable energy projects across Canada. Additional support was provided through the School District ‘s Carbon Neutral Capital Grant, the Salt Spring Foundation, and in-kind services provided by many professionals working on the project. The Solar Scholarship project has gained remarkable momentum in the community. It was first presented to the school board in December 2013, where it received an enthusiastic response and unanimous approval. Fundraising began at the Renewable Energy Conference in April, where the project was announced by GISS students Sky Lothier and Keenan Nowak. With the materials and equipment now on the island, work can commence shortly. The system will be installed by district maintenance staff overseen by local solar installation expert, Will Andrews. This approach ensures that the maintenance staff fully understands the system, while saving on construction costs and increasing the technical capacity for further solar installations on Salt Spring. Once completed, the system will be connected to the electric grid. A monitoring system will allow the public to see the energy being produced at any time on the Internet. Demonstrations of the system and monitoring capability will take place at the public launch scheduled for January 2015. More information is available at group events such as the upcoming Electric Vehicle presentation October 24th, and on the Community Energy Group web site, http://saltspringcommunityenergy.com. End
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