BMS has been awarded a $25,000 SEEL (Solar, Energy Efficiency, Lighting) grant from the City of Bloomington to install phase one of our solar array on campus!
“The 2024 SEEL program provides grant funding and technical assistance for nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses to improve building efficiency and install solar.” (https://bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/seel) Local company MPI Solar will be our project installation partner. Thank you to parent Ben Swanson for serving on the Sustainability Committee and doing a lot of the research and communication for the project!
BMS will be starting with a small array (panels), with a larger inverter (converts AC power to DC power that the building can use) designed to support a future phase of installation (adding more panels). The panels will be installed on the Annex roof facing south over the Magnolia playground.
We have limited solar capacity because of our beautiful trees and significant energy usage, so we will never get to the point of producing 100% of our electricity here on campus. However, every kilowatt matters and helps us fulfill our value of caring for the Earth! This first installation should produce about 6% of our energy, with space to double the array in a second phase of the project. Even this tiny amount decreases our impact on the planet and will save the school an estimated $73 per month.
Installation is estimated to begin over the summer. We can’t wait to update you!
If you are interested in serving on the Sustainability Committee, we are always looking for more volunteers! The committee has goals around:
- Reducing waste on campus (recycling, potentially compost)
- Reducing electricity usage
- Reducing water usage
- Educating and engaging students and families with these projects
If you are interested, reach out to Quinn at headofschool@montessori.k12.in.us.
