Pingree School

Pingree School was founded in 1960 and sits on 100 acres of land with a population of 335 students. With the school’s dedication to educational excellence, as well as the environment, Pingree was eager to add solar to the Johnson Rink to demonstrate this commitment to sustainability.

Challenge

The Johnson Ice Rink plays an important part in the athletic program and to the local community, however, the cost associated with running the facility is quite high. In fact, during the summer of 2011, a decision was made to shut down the rink during the summer partially due to the high cost of electricity.

Solution

With the installation of the solar system, the school now has access to affordable renewable energy, making the decision to remain open during the summer a more feasible option. Solect, partnered with Pingree on a PPA deal where Solect the solar system and sells electricity back to Pingree at a highly reduced rate.

Results

50% reduction of electricity costs

The 770 panels in the array will produce over 232,000 kWh of electricity per year — nearly half of the ice rink’s electricity demand. The array is not only adding clean energy to the ice rink, but also exposing students to alternative energy sources and long-term sustainability. To help the students learn how the system operates, a monitoring system has been provided to the faculty to show electricity production and how that production translates into the impact to the environment