Solar Panels Mean Savings for Mehlville Schools

The Mehlville School District has already been able to reap some savings from solar panels atop five district schools, which were installed in December.

At the end of last school year the district’s Board of Education approved a 20-year agreement with StraightUp Solar to install solar panels on the roofs of Beasley Elementary, Hagemann Elementary, Bernard Middle, Oakville High and the Witzel Alternative Academy.

The panels are expected to offset roughly $130,000 in annual energy costs. Each system will prevent the consumption of 3.3 million pounds of coal and 6.6 million pounds of Carbon Dioxide emissions over the course of the 20-year lease agreement, according to the district website.

During the April 25 Board of Education Meeting Chief Financial Officer Noel Knobloch said the solar panels have already "generated a small amount of savings” during their first 90 days in operation, though he advised staff to wait until later this fall to determine how much the solar panels will save the district in the long-term.

“Obviously the time of the year we started was the worst time of year,” he said, referring to the shortened winter sunlight.

The solar panels have an added learning benefit—the five buildings were specifically chosen to ensure every grade level can observe and learn about solar energy, Patch previously reported.

Catch up on Mehlville School District news:

• Raise the Roof: The Latest on Mehlville High School Auditorium Progress
• New Principal for Buerkle Middle School
• Oakville High School Senior Wins Optimist Award
• Mehlville Students Sign to Play College Sports