Charter school wins solar grant

SANDPOINT — Next year’s charter school students will be receiving a solar-powered education — or at least, mostly.

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter approved a $2.75 million initiative Friday that will allow select schools across the state to construct solar arrays. Sandpoint Charter School received $359,398.49 of those funds to construct a 64,680-watt solar panel array, the largest in the community, on site. The panels are projected to save the school $7,000 to $8,000 a year in energy costs, encompassing around two-thirds of its overall need.

“We went through a competitive grant process and ended up getting selected to participate,” Sandpoint Charter School Principal Alan Millar said. “Then we were required to work with a set of contractors that had already been chosen.”

After schools filed grant requests by Nov. 19, a committee of experts in electric utilities, education, grant administration, public buildings and alternative energy evaluated the applications.

The committee selected schools that had already proven committed to energy efficiency, could easily accommodate the project, would receive a high investment return and were displayed enthusiasm for the project’s goals.

Those contractors put together a plan for the modifications that the school facility would require for the project. To complete the work without disturbing the kids’ education, the project is currently slated for the summer.

“We hope to use it not only as a way to save costs but also as a teaching tool, informing our students about clean energy and the fact that they could find a career in the field,” Millar said.

The $2.75 million for the statewide project was earmarked from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. The state received 43 requests for funds totalling $13 million altogether, but the committee only selected nine applicants. Millar said he’s thrilled that his school is one of the few chosen candidates.

“We’re very excited about this project,” he said. “We think it will be a great learning tool and also a kind of an example for the community.”