Page 11 - Main Street Power

Main Street Power | 11
Besides the economic savings for the
school, the environmental payback for each
year that the system is operational is sub-
stantial. C02 emissions are offset by what is
equivalent any of the following over a one
year period: 811,643 gallons of gas con-
sumed; 16,837 barrels of oil consumed; or
the electricity consumed by 879 households.
The power output also equates to the amount
of carbon sequestered annually from over 72
acres of woodland preserved from deforesta-
tion.
At the end of 2012, Main Street Power,
together with its partners, established multi-
ple financing platforms to provide American
homeowners with a means to access solar
power resources. As the long-term owners
and operators of the residential systems for
fifteen to twenty years, Main Street Power
is deeply invested in solar savings for every
type of customer.
SOCIAL STEWARDSHIP
Main Street Power’s experience ranges from
large-capacity projects to individual homes,
but the greatest value comes from their
work with educational institutions. “Hav-
ing worked on three school districts and two
higher learning campuses, we’ve been able
to save schools and universities hundreds of
thousands of dollars, which ultimately ben-
efits students and teachers the most,” Hinck-
ley says.
Along with the economic and environ-
mental savings, Main Street Power uses their
installations as an opportunity to educate
the next generation of installers and engi-
neers. Created to align with 21st Century
Skills resources, Main Street Power’s K-12
solar science curriculum provides extra
training for teachers and hands-on lessons
for students. Kids become more connected
with science concepts and get excited about
learning. University and college age students
receive an installation training program de-
veloped by ICAST to teach young adults the
specifics of the engineering and construction
fields.
Main Street Power has always been com-
mitted to incorporating nonprofit and work-
force agencies into their financial models,
tying interactive training and educational
programs into each project they do. In 2011,
they financed systems on four of Colorado’s
Department of Corrections facilities. In
each project, inmates were used to build and