Our Green Team has a Green Dream. We would love to see a bunch of solar panels on the roof of the South Geelong Primary School, so we can invest what we save on our energy bills into getting our kids excited about living sustainably in their community. Help raise $30,000 for a big 13kW solar system and LED lighting upgrades – we anticipate saving a whopping $6,000 a year, to be invested in our kids for many years to come!
Our students have even recorded a re-mix of "scream and shout", originally recorded by solar edge. It's a little bit Korean rapper Psy, with a sustainability edge - check it out here
With savings we make on our energy bills, we have plans to embed sustainability in everything our school does. Some of the things on our list include:
01. Building new bike shelters and teaching cycling proficiency, so every child can have the confidence to ride to school and a place to park their bikes too! Active lifestyles are essential to every child’s health, and cycling to school is a great way to make active living a part of every day.
02. Supporting the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, ensuring all our kids learn about growing, preparing and sharing great tasting healthy food, every day. They say you are what you eat, so help us ensure a generation of South Geelong Primary School kids grow up organic and free range, the way kids should be.
03. Install a food producing green wall, inspiring the kids to think creatively and pragmatically about the use of space, as well as being a practical asset for teaching and growing food together.The beauty of this project is, that when you give, you give for a generation. With $6,000 or more saved on our bills every year, that is $120,000 we can invest in teaching our kids about living sustainably over the next twenty years. So thank you from us, and from the thousands of kids that will benefit from your single gift today.
About the School
South Geelong Primary has a mission. As a school community we create an environment where everyone is encouraged to strive for excellence in an atmosphere of confidence, enjoyment and active participation. We aim to:
- Ensure quality teaching and innovation through professional learning, educational feedback, teamwork, collegiate support and communication.
- Respect the unique and individual strengths, talents and needs of every child.
- Welcome community involvement through an open, supportive and consultative environment where contributions are valued.
- Promote a positive working and learning environment where contributions are recognised and celebrated.
How The Funds Will Be Used
We are fund raising for up to 10W of solar power and LED lighting upgrade priced at $30,000 including GST. We will orient the panels to smooth out our power production, minimising exports to the grid, and maximising the financial value of our asset.We will be using Jinko Smart Panels with Tigo optimisers in-built, a Fronius Inverter and Radiant framing system. These are tier-1 products with 10-year product warranties. Our Tigo optimisers will help ensure the panels produce more energy day-to-day, and extend their lifetime too. Our supplier and Installer will be Infinity Power, one of Australia’s most highly regarded solar companies.
The Challenges
Giving to this project is not without risk. The three primary risks, and how we have mitigated them, are as follows:
The School ceases to operate
The school has a long history and enjoys strong demand for enrolments. We believe the school will be operating well into the future, beyond the life of the solar panels.
The panels malfunction
We use Tier-1 products that are expected to perform reliably – well beyond their warranty period. Our supplier, Infinity Solar, is a Clean Energy Council accredited supplier. If the products were to fail prematurely, we will be able to replace them with costs recovered from the supplier.
The panels and lighting upgrades do not provide $6,000 value per year
The energy assessment we have conducted provides a conservative estimate of the value of the panels. We have every confidence this assessment is thorough and accurate. While we understand our energy tariffs may change in the future, the experience of other States around Australia suggests such changes are not likely to adversely affect the value of our panels. In fact we believe that over the course of the next five to ten years the price of electricity will rise and release greater value from the panels. Our Fronius inverter can be configured to accommodate energy storage should it become cost-effective to do so in the future.
Donation
You'll receive a tax deductible receipt for you pledge