The Division of Energy will give PSS approximately $2.4 million from the $6.5 million it has received from the U.S. Department of Energy for Renewable projects for the completion of this effort. The project, which is broken into two phases, was awarded to Pacific Green Integrated Technology Inc. and Pacific Wind & Solar LLC in Sept. 2010.
The project will provide for solar panels and wind turbines at Saipan Southern High School and 10 other schools throughout the CNMI: Koblerville Elementary School, Garapan Elementary School, Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Chacha Oceanview Junior High School, Kagman High School, Tinian Elementary School, Tinian Junior High School, Tinian Senior High School, Sinapalo Elementary School and Rota High School.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said his administration strongly supports the implementation of renewable energy efforts in the CNMI. Thus, the Division of Energy has been actively engaged in promoting energy efficiency within the community.
“This is a huge step forward in our efforts to transition our dependency from conventional energy to renewable energy. We will continue to work toward expanding this worthwhile project to maximize the benefits we stand to realize from going green,” Fitial said.
The PSS Green Energy Project equipment has already begun arriving with Saipan Southern High School receiving its first equipment delivery last week of 195 solar panels. Six large wind turbines are expected to arrive in March with installation to begin soon afterward. The other sites will begin receiving their initial shipments of equipment which will include 11 solar panels and 1 wind turbine for each site within the next week.
Upon completion of the project, Saipan Southern High School is expected to harness as much as 165-kw, which is enough solar and wind power to run the entire school. The project will be connected to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. power grid through a net-metering connection. The intent of this project is to educate students on the benefits of renewable energy through the collection of actual energy data being produced at each site. It will also allow for the reduction in power usage at each of the sites leading to power savings for PSS. Installation of the solar panels and wind turbines is expected to start in March.
“The PSS green energy project is made possible through a close working partnership between the Public School System, the CNMI Division of Energy Office, and the CNMI ARRA office. This is a landmark project for the CNMI in its efforts to ‘Go Green,’ ” stated CNMI ARRA communications/compliance director Fred Camacho.
