Project Overview
When Federal Hocking local schools sought to make their 20-year dream of solar a reality, they first called locally owned and operated Third Sun Solar for consultation. Third Sun Solar worked with the school district for years and assisted in project development and finding a financing partner. Federal Hocking selected Third Sun Solar for our expertise in both solar project development and construction. The 700 kW solar array will offset 70% of the school’s annual energy use with renewable power.
“The message here is if we can do it, anybody can do it. This should be done everywhere. We are a small, rural district. We’re not a giant district, we don’t have a ton of money, but we can make this happen and other people can make it happen to.” – George Wood, former Federal-Hocking Local Schools Superintendent
While the financial benefits to the school are very attractive, the benefits to the local economy, like the growing number of solar jobs, are also very important. Several employees who worked on the project were students at Federal-Hocking High School and Joint Vocational School.
Project Financing:
The project is a result of an innovative approach to financing renewable energy projects offered by New Resource Solutions (NRS). NRS plays “matchmaker” to entities that want to add renewable energy as a power source with investors who see the value in smaller-scale, community-centered projects. NRS then works with both parties to see the project through development to installation.
Legal and tax structure:
The array was built and installed by a partnership consisting of the installer, Third Sun Solar, New Resource Solutions, who structured the financing and Foundation Renewable Energy Company, the system owner and operator.
