Lower Moreland School District Begins Solar Panel Installation

After a brief delay, the solar panel project at Lower Moreland School District is back on schedule and the first rack of panels will be mounted on the high school roof this week.

The project was supposed to be completed by November, but because of a hard substance (which was found to be glue) on the high school roof that would have disrupted the construction, the project was pushed back.

Consultant Gil Lappano, who was on hand at the Lower Moreland School Board Director’s meeting last Tuesday, explained the situation but predicts everything will be completed as expected. The project completion date is now Jan. 6.

LM got approval for an $851,000 grant from the state to assist with funding The Solar Photovoltaic Project, which is headed by Spiezle Group and will cost an estimated $3,000,000.

There was an original discussion among the Board of Commissioners back in April whether or not to mount the systems on the roof or the front lawn of the schools. After lengthy discussions they agreed to have the solar panels placed on the roofs. Placing them on the lawn would have required zoning relief as well as the submittal and recording of a storm water management and grading plan and agreement.

One concern that originally came up was the possible reflectivity from the solar panels to oncoming traffic. The school district anticipates the system will reduce their electrical costs and generate an immediate positive cash flow once installed.