Lawrence Family Development, Inc. is dedicated to imparting quality education and preparing its students for a brighter future. Its charter school has 720 students from early kindergarten through grade eight, trained with a robust academic program and diverse extracurricular activities.

Challenge

The school launched its new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Center in the fall of 2015, which inspired it to consider solar energy. The school authority partnered with Solect to implement a solar project that offered financial benefits and helped the school demonstrate its environmental stewardship.

Solution

The Lawrence Family Development Charter School solar array was financed and constructed through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Solect and PowerOptions. Solect owns and operates the solar system and sells the power generated back to the school at a reduced and fixed rate for the 20-year agreement period.

Results

A 25% reduction in electricity costs

The arrays cover a quarter of the LFDCS campus’ energy demand while saving nearly $30,000 a year.
The solar project is an addition to their other sustainability initiatives, that include developing a verdant garden on the campus and driving programs to build energy-efficient housing projects across the city of Lawrence.