Monona Grove High School is celebrating the upcoming commissioning of the largest K-12 school solar PV array in Wisconsin. After several years of planning and budgeting, the school district worked closely with several partners including Westphal & Co. to bring the project to life. Using a $300,000 grant from the State of Wisconsin Public Service Commission and Focus on Energy, the $1.3 million project will pay for itself over its planned 30-year life.
Westphal & Co. was responsible for the installation of more than 1,400 solar panels and the connection to the power grid. Learn more about the project here.
How Much Power Will the Array Produce?
The array covers about two-thirds of the school’s roof and will generate 845 Mega-Watt hours of power or about half of the school’s annual electricity usage. It will be cash flow positive in the first year, and the district anticipates saving around $20,000 each year or $1.5 million in energy costs over 30 years.
“There’s no downsides to this decision to do this,” Sobol said. “It saves money, it’s good for the environment, it’s a positive message for students, it’s an educational message for students.”
One of those students is sophomore Krishna Elwell, a student member on the committee. He said the project makes him feel hopeful about the future. “This feels really inspiring that we actually can do something, and I have a lot of confidence that when people see these solar panels, they’ll feel the same way I do,” he said.
Environmental Benefits of the Project
The project replaces coal-fired electricity that currently powers the building. The array will offset the burning of more than 16,000 tons of coal, reducing harmful coal-related air emissions, including:
- over 44,000 pounds of smog-producing nitrogen oxide emissions
- 5,400 pounds of particulate emissions
- 2.8 pounds of mercury emissions
- and 31,000 tons of carbon dioxide!
Additionally, all rooftop panels are American-made in Dalton, Georgia by the Hanwah company.
About Us
Westphal Electric has been serving the Madison, Janesville, Dubuque, and Milwaukee areas for more than 90 years. We’re the team of electricians you can trust. We believe in providing residential and commercial electric services for maximum convenience for you. We offer solar panel installation and servicing so that you can trust our team each step of the way and never feel left in the dark. Click here to view additional solar projects from Westphal & Co.
