This story speaks to the tenacity, vision, and determination of one of the PG&E Solar Schools Program’s champion’s, Tobin Hahn…there are different challenges with each installation, but here is a story of how one particular project (and his team) brought their project to sunlight…

Story submitted by Tobin Hahn

View looking south from the Mendocino High School

The Mendocino High School is located on a hill overlooking the historic village of Mendocino. The town is perched on the headlands of the beautiful Northern California coastline, and is a popular tourist destination. Because the town is designated as a historic district, it has remained quaint and has been a favorite location for movie studios over the years.

The same regulations that have preserved the flavor of the town made the site selection for the solar panel a challenge. Coupled with some technical difficulties, the installation of our pole-mounted photovoltaic system has been anything but a smooth process.

I first applied for the PG&E Solar School grant in the spring of 2005. We did not make it in the first ten schools that were chosen, but were selected in the second round that winter. Once we were notified of the specs of the project and of a possible local sub-contractor, we were able to assemble a team of teachers, administrators, students, and maintenance to locate a site. Because the high school is in the middle of the historic district, it was important to not have the panel in plain view, yet still have it accessible to students and, of course, to sunlight. The Historic Review Board requires that development be in harmony with surrounding structures and even has specific wording strictly limiting photovoltaic installations.

The site of our first choice was adjacent to an existing greenhouse (an example of passive solar energy) and several portable buildings with easy conduit access to electrical and Internet hook-ups. I submitted the site plan and fees to the county planning office which oversees the Historic Review Board. Because the Review Board meets only once a month, we had to wait until March for our hearing.

Location of the first site by the greenhouse.

I was certain our site was adequate. The immediate surrounding buildings were not historic and the greenhouse was industrial looking as well. Yet, at the March meeting, an ominous tone was set as the Board presented the findings. The Board had found that the panel could be viewed or glimpsed from over 6 historic sites and that the old road/path that runs by the proposed site is itself historic. Several citizens argued, as had I, that this installation should be allowed on the grounds of its educational value and the fact that the majority of the school itself is not historic or not exactly in harmony with the historic buildings surrounding it. Furthermore, some passionate speakers argued that the Review Board would have to allow solar panels in the town eventually, as fossil fuel production is peaking, and that this would be an excellent place to start.

Despite the community support, the Review Board turned down the proposal. They asked if the panel could be placed on the north side of a building and somehow be shielded by lattice or plantings. The comment would bring chuckles from the audience and later ridicule in the press. Ironically, the final location of the panel would be on the north side of a building and would be concealed well enough to not need additional shielding.

Because the proposal had been rejected, we would have to wait another month before another hearing. During that time, I enlisted the help of the students and the sub-contractor to find suitable sites. I took pictures of each site and used PhotoShop to insert a panel into the image to give an idea of the installation (the Board had suggested erecting a frame to show the visual impact, the digital approach was much easier!). I then had the students discuss the pros and cons of each site based on the Review Boards requirements and the educational requirements. The students chose a location by the concrete water tank that serves the athletic fields.

New proposed site for the installation looking east.

I had originally looked at this site and rejected it because it sits in a depression, with the High School on a hill to the east and the Community High School rising up just to the south. I had been sure, as had the sub-contractor that solar exposure would be insufficient at this site even though the location was nicely shielded from the view of historic structures. The sub-contractor returned to the site with a solar path finder and to our surprise it had excellent solar exposure. It was set back just far enough from all the looming hills and structures around it. The pump house for the well had the proper electrical requirements, yet the Internet connection would have to be wireless.

I rallied support from the local renewable energy community for the April Review Board meeting and came prepared with my three sites, one of which I selected so they could reject it should they need to feel more discretionary – I was not leaving anything to chance this time. After a strong presentation (PowerPoint of April Review Board Presentation), including reminding the Board that Mendocino has a history of using local energy resources (see the windmills and water towers in the postcard below), the public spoke overwhelmingly in favor of the project, again encouraging the Board members to set a precedent and make a historic decision to allow solar panels in the town of Mendocino.

Windmills and Water towers in Mendocino.
The high school is on the upper left hill.
The building pictured burnt down long ago.

The Board took great pride that night in passing our proposal for the site by the concrete water tank. It is hard to say if the site was sufficiently shielded from view, or if it was good enough that political pressure took care of the rest. Once approved, there is a waiting period before construction can start in case any new findings are introduced. The waiting period passed without any issues and the construction began. It was now May.

The installation of the panel went smoothly save for some delays for parts to arrive. The panel was erected before school let out for the summer, but an Internet connection and paperwork remained before it could be turned on.

Students with their solar cars under the installation.

The wireless connection was established during the summer. It appeared to be too weak a signal to reach the building and then it appeared to stop working all together. I contacted the district tech person at the end of July and received word that it would be fixed. August passed, September rolled around, the district tech person quit her job and left town. Her parting remarks to me were that she had no idea what was wrong with the Internet connection and that it was not just a weak signal. Had summer really come and gone without this issue being solved?

In the end, I finally decided to look into it myself, even though I know nothing about the technology. To my surprise, the breaker for the wireless link had been turned off in the pump house! With the simple flip of a switch, contact was reestablished. The wireless link is still too weak, and intermittently comes on/off, but at least I know it functions!

This story was written by one of the PG&E Solar Schools Program’s most enthusiastic teachers, Mr. Greg Holman. We all wish we had a science teacher like him. His story speaks to how his school (including fellow science teacher Mr. Snyder, and equally enthusiastic I might add!) has mobilized the 1kW PV system, integrated a variety of projects at the school, and sparked an energy revolution in Paradise, CA.

Story submitted by Greg Holman
6th grade Science

Evergreen 6 is program with 96 sixth graders. We are located about an hour and a half north of Sacramento, in the foothill town of Paradise California. We are extremely fortunate to have received one of the PG&E solar installation grants. This addition to our school has created great enthusiasm about this alternative energy. Evergreen 6 has incorporated our 1 kw solar array into many of our projects. Here are some of the things we have done:

• Students used the PG&E Energenius program and NEED energy units to better understand energy, audit our school energy use, and audit home energy use. Students determined and implemented energy saving strategies. (Some even negotiated with parents to earn a portion of the monthly savings.)
• Students created a list of questions they had about solar energy. They researched the answers and then presented to neighboring 3rd graders. Below, Evergreen students are playing a game where 3rd graders try to guess the watts used by common appliances. This was used to help them understand how much energy we use, what our array can potentially and realistically power, and the importance of conservation. Winning answers were awarded Sunny Delight, Capri-Sun, and Sun Chip prizes. Students also taught the 3rd graders about the system, and the data monitoring. Teachers teach students, who in turn become the teachers.

• Students share our gift from PG&E with the local media. Students create and paint signs that help direct people to our website: www.evergreen6.us for more information.

• Students design and built a retaining wall around our solar array. This area we are developing into a focal point of our school. This reinforces the concept learned from the Foundation for Environmental Education: solar should be seen!

• Students have a contest to determine/ estimate when our array will hit landmarks. (500kwh, 1000kwh…)
• Students gather around our array – with the new brick wall nearly completed.

Again, we feel so fortunate to have this gift at our school. With all of the focus on the various aspects of energy, an amazing thing has happened. Students and staff alike have become very energy conscious. Automatically turning off lights and computers when they leave a room. Unplugging appliances over the summer months. In fact, I estimate we have saved much more power than we have generated. Education has been able to accomplish as much as thousands of dollars worth of equipment, in effect doubling the impact of our array!