Sara Ross and Jonathan Klein of UndauntedK12 discuss their efforts to spread the word about the IRA's easily accessible financial assistance to schools, in the form of direct-pay tax credits for climate-friendly upgrades. The funds can address years of deferred maintenance and the growing impacts of climate change, but many schools don't know about them.
Typical neighborhood public schools are the Keystones of (sub)urban communities. They're often election polling places, emergency service centers, where day-care centers are located, & where youth sports & other activities take place. In larger communities, they're widely distributed, to serve the surrounding residential residential neighborhood, along with nearby commercial properties. As mentioned, schools most often include large paved asphalt parking lots & playgrounds.
Schools & other public facilities, along with neighborhood shopping centers, business parks & large apartments & condos, all with large parking lots, are the ideal under-utilized place to rapidly develop resilient neighborhood micro grids, with large solar canopies, stationary batteries & Vehicle-2-Grid chargers. Right where most energy consumers live & work. No utility interconnection queues or NIMBY delays, or new transmission, site acquisition, or other site improvement spending required.
Somewhere I heard that schools are already the building type with the highest fraction of onsite PV. Not sure if its the innate progressivism of school boards or just trying to convince the climate-concerned kids we're doing something for them. Or other grants and funds also targeting that over the last ten years.
I do worry that given the choice between an ESPC contract and direct ownership most SDs will still opt for ESPC since that company gets the tax credit too, and despite overhead and profit has all its existing advantages (no need to issue bonds, project expertise and maybe more).
GSHPs are great, but given the expense to implement in existing buildings, I wish the credit covered other HP applications.
Amusing, but not surprising, to hear of the 20:1 ratio between applications and available grants. Way too many hours are spent beavering away on the other 19 applications.
Thank you so much for this podcast! Another org to help get the word out are the state/regional/local PTAs. Here in Lake Washington SD, we've had PTSA Sustainability Chairs since 2018....started out mainly working at the ground level volunteering in the schools with students, but over the years many of us have focused more on the advocacy/policy work at the state and district levels in addition to working with neighboring school districts in sharing resources. There's so much potential here and I appreciate that this podcast mentions how essential schools are in the national climate strategy and that this is "so much more than just buildings and infrastructure....these are young eyes seeing this stuff." thank you.
Another great podcast. It raised a couple of questions. 1. Does the system work with cast iron radiators which usually require 180 degree water? Does the system require new radiators thereby increasing the cost above comparable systems.
2. What about A/C? With rising temps, many homeowners first foray into heat pumps is fo A/C. Does Harvest have a solution?
Typical neighborhood public schools are the Keystones of (sub)urban communities. They're often election polling places, emergency service centers, where day-care centers are located, & where youth sports & other activities take place. In larger communities, they're widely distributed, to serve the surrounding residential residential neighborhood, along with nearby commercial properties. As mentioned, schools most often include large paved asphalt parking lots & playgrounds.
Schools & other public facilities, along with neighborhood shopping centers, business parks & large apartments & condos, all with large parking lots, are the ideal under-utilized place to rapidly develop resilient neighborhood micro grids, with large solar canopies, stationary batteries & Vehicle-2-Grid chargers. Right where most energy consumers live & work. No utility interconnection queues or NIMBY delays, or new transmission, site acquisition, or other site improvement spending required.
Somewhere I heard that schools are already the building type with the highest fraction of onsite PV. Not sure if its the innate progressivism of school boards or just trying to convince the climate-concerned kids we're doing something for them. Or other grants and funds also targeting that over the last ten years.
I do worry that given the choice between an ESPC contract and direct ownership most SDs will still opt for ESPC since that company gets the tax credit too, and despite overhead and profit has all its existing advantages (no need to issue bonds, project expertise and maybe more).
GSHPs are great, but given the expense to implement in existing buildings, I wish the credit covered other HP applications.
Amusing, but not surprising, to hear of the 20:1 ratio between applications and available grants. Way too many hours are spent beavering away on the other 19 applications.
Thank you so much for this podcast! Another org to help get the word out are the state/regional/local PTAs. Here in Lake Washington SD, we've had PTSA Sustainability Chairs since 2018....started out mainly working at the ground level volunteering in the schools with students, but over the years many of us have focused more on the advocacy/policy work at the state and district levels in addition to working with neighboring school districts in sharing resources. There's so much potential here and I appreciate that this podcast mentions how essential schools are in the national climate strategy and that this is "so much more than just buildings and infrastructure....these are young eyes seeing this stuff." thank you.
Schools should have bicycle repair classes and every kid within 2-miles of a school should be able to safely walk or ride their bike to school.
These huge lines of cars waiting to pickup and drop off kids is crazy.
Hi Dave,
Another great podcast. It raised a couple of questions. 1. Does the system work with cast iron radiators which usually require 180 degree water? Does the system require new radiators thereby increasing the cost above comparable systems.
2. What about A/C? With rising temps, many homeowners first foray into heat pumps is fo A/C. Does Harvest have a solution?
Thanks
Steve
Steven, I think your comment was intended for the previous episode.
The pod with the founder of Harvest. Can you move the comment if necessary?
Steven, feel free to repost your question here: https://www.volts.wtf/p/heat-pumps-with-thermal-batteries