Warsaw Schools Makes Green Energy Strides
WARSAW — Warsaw Community Schools is currently making great strides in its pursuit of energy efficiency and cost savings. In the coming weeks, six WCS buildings will be outfitted with solar panels, providing green energy, educational opportunities and millions of dollars in energy cost savings over the next 20 years alone.
Buildings seeing these additions include Lakeview Middle School, Edgewood Middle School, Harrison Elementary, Eisenhower Elementary, Madison Elementary and Leesburg Elementary. Currently, several other buildings in the district are already utilizing solar panels.
In an agreement with NIPSCO, Warsaw Community Schools has been guaranteed the ability to sell back excess energy generated by the panels to the grid. The agreement will span a 30-year period. The project was made possible through a partnership with First Source Bank, which assisted in procuring the funding line necessary to bring the project to fruition.
“Warsaw Community Schools would like to thank NIPSCO for their strong commitment to our district,” Stated Warsaw Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert. “We are very excited about the advancement in solar energy assisting to power our local school campuses.”
Brandon Penrod, CFO of Warsaw Community Schools stated, “We chose to use solar power at school buildings for multiple reasons. While it will certainly save money and lowers the carbon footprint of our district, it also provides instructional resources to our classroom teachers, particularly in the STEM areas.”