Los
Angeles Times: In an effort to cut their electrical bills,
many schools across California are being fitted with solar
panels. Unfortunately, some of the installations have
experienced problems with both the construction of the arrays
and their location. At Valencia High School, for example,
workers originally placed the panels facing the wrong way, and
they had to be repaired. Location, however, seems to be the
bigger problem. To be as unobtrusive as possible, solar panels
are usually placed on the roofs of buildings. At the
78-year-old Dwyer Middle School, the roof wasn't strong enough
to hold them. When school officials decided to place them on
the lawn instead, the students got upset because they use the
lawn for their culmination ceremonies. The panels were
eventually installed with a split in the middle to allow for
the ceremonies. People who live near the schools have also
complained about the unsightliness of the arrays. Nevertheless,
through a combination of buyback deals, incentive programs,
zero-interest loans, and direct purchases, school systems are
slowly transitioning to the greener source of energy, which can
save them as much as 85% on their electricity costs. And with
judicial placement and some landscaping, school officials hope
the panels will be less of an eyesore for school personnel and
their neighbors.
