Set in one of the most coveted locations in the Blue Mountains, overlooking the magnificent Kanimbla Valley, Mountains Christian College is very conscious of its environmental impact. It was the first school in Blackheath to say no to plastic straws, and in November last year it installed a 99.84kW solar system. That’s 384 solar panels covering 627 square metres and running four 25kW inverters.
It’s ideal for a school to install a system this big as most of the energy consumption is throughout the day. Peak solar energy in summer is usually after school has finished, when the lights are Mountains Christian College Goes Solar off, which allows for more energy to feed into the grid. The school also benefits from feed-in tariffs during school holidays when little energy is being used.
Mountains Christian College has seen a 60-70% reduction in their energy costs, which means a return on investment within 4 years. According to estimates, the school will produce 127,000kWh of power per year and save 110,000kg of CO2 per year.
The system was installed by Solar Connections – a Blue Mountains-based company.
Lis Bastian
