Situated in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Area School District (CASD) covers seventy-eight square miles and serves approximately five thousand students in grades kindergarten through twelve. CASD’s mission is to provide students with the highest quality instruction and excellent support services in an environment that nurtures all students.

CASD is known throughout Pennsylvania for its technology, which is integrated into every classroom to enhance teaching and learning, and provide efficiency of routine operations (summarized from www.carlisleschools.org).

Project Origins/Benefits

Having launched an overall energy conservation program, CASD began to look at renewable energy solutions and elected to install a one megawatt photovoltaic (PV) system on six acres at Bellaire Elementary School and Wilson Middle School. This system will generate about 1,500,000 kWh per year and reduce CASD’s carbon footprint by nearly 2,055,000 lbs.

In addition to environmental and economic advantages, the initiative has educational benefits. The solar array includes 1,227 kW of Sharp’s 240 W monocrystalline panels and 9.2 kW of Sharp’s 115 W framed thin film panels, and students will be able to compare the performance and energy savings of each technology. H&M Training Services is working with CASD’s Center for Careers and Technology to deliver the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) photovoltaics program to district students.

This project is the largest solar array for a public school district in Pennsylvania and has been recognized with a 2010 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

Selection Process and Project Scope

The East Region’s York, Pennsylvania operating unit has enjoyed a successful relationship with CASD for more than twenty years, with a focus on power and communications work.

In November 2009, the district asked H&M for budgetary pricing and a prequalification package to develop the PV system. This Project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority. The Project was also funded by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority using monies from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

H&M’s presentation led to a CASD Request for Proposal to design and install the system under an engineer, procure, and construct model. The proposal included options for alternate technologies and a model of expected power performance. H&M subsequently prepared a site plan showing design options (fixed ground mounted, tracking arrays, carport canopies, and roof mounted), and was ultimately chosen based on proposal content, project approach, work history, and pricing.

This project employed the talents of the York, Pennsylvania operations staff and the Blue Bell, Pennsylvania Infrastructure Engineering Group. The H&M team was led by Joan Dalessio (Project Manager), Mark Holder (Construction Manager), and Rick Gutshall (Area Manager).

The one megawatt multi-technology solar array consists of more than 5,000 fixed ground mounted photovoltaic panels, one passive tracker, and one dual axis tracker, all capable of being individually monitored in real time via wireless technology. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 23, 2010, and construction came to a successful close with commercial operation achieved on October 13, 2010.

Dedication

CASD’s October 19 site dedication featured refreshments, music, and a poetry reading provided by students from Bellaire Elementary School, Wilson Middle School, and Carlisle High School. CASD Director of Finance Thomas D. Longenecker introduced key project stakeholders including Bob Geneczko, vice president of Customer Services for PPL Electric Utilities, who presented the district with a $500,000 renewable energy rebate through PPL’s E-power initiative. Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, Pennsylvania State Senator Patricia Vance, and H&M President and CEO Rod Henkels commended the project’s success and the benefits of green energy. School Board President Nancy Fishman then invited the rest of the Board to join her as she flipped the switch to the system, and Tom Longenecker directed everyone’s attention to the passive tracker, which began to turn to face the sun.

Quotable

“We are very honored to have participated in this landmark and visionary project from the start,” stated Rod Henkels. “It is extremely gratifying to see the involvement of local labor in an initiative with so many benefits to the community. The Carlisle Area School District has our sincere best wishes for long-term success.”

As Tom Longenecker reflected, “I am very pleased with the professionalism and expertise from all levels of the Henkels & McCoy staff. I am also impressed with the level of personal ownership and pride Henkels & McCoy demonstrated during this solar project. Henkels & McCoy has clearly made it known that this is a special project and perfection is the only acceptable standard. This is a very unique project, the largest utility scale solar array of any public school in Pennsylvania. The Carlisle Area School District is honored to share the recognition of such an achievement with a company that cares about people and the community as much as we do.”