Elinor Micallef, from St Margaret’s College Girl’s Secondary Zejtun, recently took part in the Young Reporters for the environment contest (YRE). Ms Micallef, who was tutored by Anthea Barbara, competed in the Article Category (11-14 years) by writing about the importance of schools to invest in greener energy. Following are her findings.

 

According to the National Statistics Office, in 2012, 0.6 per cent of electricity generation in Malta was derived from photovoltaic cells installed by households. While in 2009, electrical energy generated from photovoltaic was that of 530 megawatt hours of electricity, in 2012, 13,620 megawatt hours were generated by private households. The number of households contributing to the renewable energy sector in 2012 stood at 4,861, according to a 2014 National Office of Statistics report.

Alternative energy became popular when the price of crude oil started to increase and resulted in higher electricity bills.  The European Union’s guidelines to increase the generation of alternative energy to 10 per cent of final energy consumption by 2020 set the ball rolling, according to the European Commission.

We are already seeing a good number of households who are installing photovoltaic systems on their rooftops.  Unfortunately in Malta the majority of our houses are built next to each other and this can lower the production of electricity because of shade.

Moreover, nowadays young couples are finding it more difficult to buy a house as it is a big expense and are choosing to buy flats instead.  This trend is resulting in families who do not have access to their own rooftop.

The recent photovoltaic system grants that the Maltese government, through the European Union, gave to the Maltese population, created a great deal of interest as through these grants the photovoltaic systems have become more affordable. 

Unfortunately till now this scheme has only been open to homeowners and factories or businesses that have their own roof space.  Many families, although interested in investing in photovoltaic systems, are unable to do so as they do not own roof space. 

The solution to this may be in the renting out of roof space.  This can be either done with the private sector or with government entities.  In the private sector the owner has to be aware that if he rents out his rooftop for a number of years he will have his hands tied with regard to any extensions, building or renovation projects which may affect the rooftop space. 

Also, should the homeowner wish to sell the property it will prove more difficult to do so if the buyer is not interested in entering into the leasing agreement.

With the government entities it’s another story.  If we take into consideration the school buildings alone, we are already talking of about 50 schools.  These 50 include just primary schools.  Then there are the colleges, tertiary schools and the university.  Maltese schools are usually surrounded by their own grounds so they are not shaded by nearby buildings.  This is ideal for solar energy generation. 

In 2013, 13 Church schools embarked on a photovoltaic and intelligent lighting project totalling up to 385kWp. 50 per cent of the project was financed by the European Regional Development Funds and National Funds, whilst the remaining 50 per cent was directly financed by the 13 schools. In total the schools should produce 622,200kilowatt hours of green energy and save 25.7 MWH annually from intelligent lighting systems resulting in the reduction of 554 Tons of CO2 emissions per year. Additionally, each year they will save approximately €111,996.00 on their electricity bills. (Electrofix, 2014)

As at end of 2011, with regard to government schools, Pembroke primary school, part of the St Claire College, was the only school to be generating all its energy from photovoltaic cells. Three other schools were very far behind percentage-wise. Cospicua boys’ secondary school, part of St Margaret College, generates six per cent; Kirkop boys’ secondary school, part of St Benedict College, eight per cent; and Qormi boys’ secondary, part of St Ignatius College, 9.8 per cent. At the time PV cells were also being installed at the boys’ secondary school at Mosta (Ta’ Zokrija) and at the boys’ secondary school at Victoria.

As per the above, the government or the school itself may choose to use their roof space for photovoltaic systems but in the majority of the cases lack of funds does not leave this as an option.  In cases like this the school may be given the opportunity to rent out its roof space to Maltese citizens wishing to invest in photovoltaic systems.

An alternative energy consultant can be hired to calculate the maximum number of panels that can be installed and then the public is offered the possibility to install their panels on the school’s rooftop.  Obviously all the panels have to be bought from the same pre-agreed supplier as all the panels will be installed as one system.  In this scenario every citizen pays for the number of panels he affords. It’s also important that the system is insured so that no problems will arise in case of faults, and an annual maintenance fee paid so that the panels are kept clean and up to standard. The panels are best mounted on tilting frames whose angle can be changed according to season hence gaining more energy production. 

When the electricity is generated and a refund is received from the electrical company, 10 per cent of the amount received is given to the school as payment of lease and the rest is divided proportionally between the owners of the panels. 

This method is beneficial to everyone involved.  Obviously to avoid problems a written and signed agreement is a must to protect everyone involved.  In this example I have mentioned the use of a school building but any other government and private buildings can follow this method.

Europe is doing rapid improvement in the clean energy sector and Malta has to follow suit so that we reach our estimated goals in time.