Although there is more supervision of installing solar projects on school grounds, M Bar C Construction has found success in this market segment and has done this through solar carports. Bobby Bonfanti, Eastern Division Manager, and Erik Krivokopich, VP of Business Development at M BAR C, are in this episode of Solar Spotlight to throw some light on why Carports are the ideal solar solution for schools.
A written part of this podcast is below, but definitely listen to the full episode of your desired podcast service.
How do schools benefit from solar installations?
Contents
- 1 How do schools benefit from solar installations?
- 2 Why Solar Carports vs. Other installations?
- 3 How has M Bar C sharpened this process of successful school installations?
- 4 After you have completed so many of these installations, what are you some of which you are most proud of?
- 5 How often do you pitch to schools, or do they come up and look for you for these projects?
Erik Krivokopich, VP from Business Development, M Bar C Construction
Erik Krivokopich: Apart from the obvious energy costs for reduction, there are a whole series of other values that people don’t really think about. It is an educational value, especially with voice -based topics. Strategically designed systems enable schools to store energy in power facilities during emergency situations and raster failure. These offer shadow due to bad weather. There are a lot of incredible reasons to do school sages.
Why Solar Carports vs. Other installations?
Bobby Bonfanti: Even with country, some schools do not have the opportunity to place things like ground confirmations on a building, so they have improved areas in these parking places that are just really great for carports for solar energy. Sun on top of existing conditions with roofs, you don’t know how old some of the structures are, for which they are designed, and which then become a challenge. So you can add costs to trying to do roofs.
How has M Bar C sharpened this process of successful school installations?
I: We have done more than 1500 carport and shadow structure schools nationwide, so that is a lot of practice. We have really tackled a number of different types of installations, from parking garages to amphitheaters, installations on the roof, we did it all. There is a lot of coordination with superintendents for districts, clients, teachers, students. Dealing with that type of logistics care for a long time and helping to coordinate with our customers about how they can control their customer’s expectations to the best of its ability and organize all these materials – and try to ensure that there is efficiency with the least amount Of the least amount of disruption – one of our greatest successes has been through those 1500 installations.
After you have completed so many of these installations, what are you some of which you are most proud of?
Bobby Bonfanti, Eastern Division Manager, M Bar C Construction
BB: We have had a great history of different types of projects. People think of school districts, and they just think of primary schools, secondary schools, high schools. We are starting to go here many colleges. They have more land, they have larger parking spaces, they have parking garages. We recently completed a college in Massachusetts that was a parking garage in the middle of their facility and logistics you still have to work around this school in the classroom.
I: Now we have also done many bus depots. It is a good use of space. It keeps the buses clean and easy to maintain, keeps them bad weather. But it also generates strength. These are some large installations that are 15-FT in the air that are really creative ways to generate strength for the district. We have done several Megawatts Busheren. One of the districts that we did here in California wanted to electrify their entire bus fleet, and they were the first to do it. They were able to electrify half of their fleet only on the installation of the school bus yard we did. They become quite creative about placing solar energy in school districts.
How often do you pitch to schools, or do they come up and look for you for these projects?
I: We often coordinate on a public RFP, where the school district will apply for solar energy, and then give several developers a best and final price to the district, and then they will select on the basis of qualified bidders. There are districts where they come directly to a single developer and who want some developer for them. We will coordinate individually with that developer. It simply depends on the location of the district and how they want to approach their expectations of the sun.
BB: We see it in several ways, but usually we are integrated into the district where they interview people for the project. We are asked to conduct many of those interviews because of our experience and our knowledge of how we can implement the projects safely
M Bar C Construction will exhibit in RE+ Northeast in the Boston Convention Center, in Boston Massachusetts, at position #935, from 12 to 13 February; And also on Intersolar 2025 in San Diego California, on Booth #1840 from 25 to 27 February.
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