There is a school in almost every neighborhood in Turkey. Schools are not just buildings where education is provided; with their large roof areas, central locations, and public infrastructure, they are among the most important structures in their region. For this reason, solar energy investments in schools under the Ministry of National Education should be considered not only as projects that reduce electricity consumption, but also as an important starting point for future energy security and disaster-resilient urban infrastructure.
As Reltek Energy, in our rooftop Solar Power Plant (SPP) applications in educational buildings, the systems currently operate grid-connected, i.e., on-grid. While the electricity generated from solar panels contributes to the school’s consumption, the building continues to operate with the electricity grid.
However, the role this infrastructure, established today, could undertake in the future might be much greater than just energy saving.
Today’s On-Grid SPP Could Be Tomorrow’s Energy Security Infrastructure
It is necessary to make an important technical distinction here. A standard on-grid SPP does not continue production when the electricity grid is cut off, due to safety requirements. Therefore, it is technically incorrect to say that a school with solar panels on its roof operates automatically off-grid during a power outage today.
However, the existing SPP infrastructure is an important starting point for future energy investments.
If technical suitability is ensured and necessary engineering studies are carried out, existing systems can be developed in the future with energy storage systems, suitable inverter/PCS solutions, energy management systems, critical load panels, and island operation infrastructure.
The aim of such a transformation is not to continuously disconnect the school from the electricity grid. The goal is to sustain the school’s predetermined critical electricity needs for a certain period using solar energy and stored energy during extraordinary conditions when the grid is out of service.
A Public Building with Electricity in the Neighborhood During a Disaster
In earthquakes and other natural disasters, it is not enough for buildings to remain standing. The continuity of electricity, communication, and basic infrastructure is also an important part of disaster-resilient cities.
Let’s consider a scenario where the electricity distribution grid is out of service for a long time in a specific area.
If the school in the neighborhood has an SPP on its roof, an integrated energy storage system, and appropriate electrical infrastructure managing critical loads, it may become possible to operate emergency lighting, communication devices, internet infrastructure, security systems, specific socket groups, and other critical equipment as needed, in line with the system capacity.
The goal here does not have to be to meet all of the school’s electricity needs for days. The essential point is that the available energy can be used for the correct loads during extraordinary situations.
Therefore, in the future, we should not only ask this question:
“How much electricity can a school generate per year with an SPP?”
In addition, we should also ask this question:
“When the grid is down, for how long can this school sustain its critical needs?”
The concept of energy security begins precisely here.
Why Schools?
Because schools have a very important advantage: They are already distributed within cities.
There is a school in almost every neighborhood in Turkey. Moreover, many school buildings have large roof surfaces suitable for solar energy utilization.
Considering this existing building stock not just as buildings used during school hours, but as more energy-resilient public structures in the future, presents a significant opportunity.
Instead of creating a new structure from scratch in every neighborhood to form a new energy point, the energy infrastructures of existing public buildings can be developed over time.
In the first stage, renewable electricity generation can be provided with on-grid SPP. In the future, energy storage, critical load management, and energy management systems can be added according to needs and technical suitability.
Thus, while the school operates as a building that conducts educational activities and generates a portion of its own electricity during normal times, it can transform into a public structure that can contribute to the energy resilience of its region during extraordinary conditions.
Safety First, Then Energy
In SPP applications on school roofs, the issue is not just how many solar panels can be placed on the roof.
The impact of additional loads on the structure, construction connections, wind and snow loads, existing roof geometry, maintenance areas, electrical protection, cable routes, and long-term operating conditions of the system must be evaluated together.
Especially in heavily used public buildings like educational facilities, static safety and electrical safety take precedence over energy production.
Therefore, a proper rooftop SPP application is a comprehensive engineering study that addresses project design, static evaluation, construction, electrical engineering, protection systems, field application, testing, and commissioning processes as a whole.
As Reltek Energy, in the school SPP applications we carry out, we approach systems with this perspective; aiming to create safe and long-term operable energy systems that are compatible with the existing architectural and technical infrastructure of the building.
Schools Can Also Transform into Energy Laboratories
In addition to the economic and strategic benefits of solar energy in schools, there is another important aspect: education.
A school that generates electricity from the panels on its roof can make renewable energy cease to be a theoretical concept for students.
On energy monitoring screens that can be installed within the school, students can see the power being generated at that moment, daily and annual energy production, the building’s consumption, and the contribution of solar energy in real-time.
If energy storage systems are added in the future, the battery’s state of charge, how much of the generated energy is consumed, and the direction of energy flow can also be monitored.
Thus, students do not just read about solar energy in textbooks; they can directly observe how the building where they receive education every day generates its own electricity.
If There’s a School in Every Neighborhood, Why Not an Energy Hub?
Today, on-grid SPP investments made on school roofs primarily serve the purpose of renewable electricity generation and reducing energy drawn from the grid.
However, energy technologies are developing rapidly.
Developments in energy storage systems, smart inverters, energy management software, and microgrid technologies enable structures currently operating grid-connected to be transformed into much more flexible energy infrastructures in the future.
Therefore, today’s SPP investments should not be viewed solely through their current functions.
On-grid SPP → Energy Storage → Critical Load Management → Energy Management System → Controlled Island Operation
When this transformation is carried out with proper engineering, schools can become one of the more energy-resilient public structures of the future.
The aim here is not to disconnect cities from the electricity grid. A strong electricity grid will continue to be a fundamental infrastructure. However, having distributed energy points that can generate their own energy alongside the central grid and sustain certain critical needs when necessary can provide a significant advantage for cities in terms of resilience against disasters and extraordinary conditions.
Schools, found in almost every neighborhood in Turkey, are among the most important public structures that should be evaluated from this perspective.
A school that generates electricity from the sun on its roof today can transform into one of the energy-resilient points of its neighborhood tomorrow with the right investments and engineering solutions.
Therefore, as Reltek Energy, we view the school SPP projects we undertake not merely as today’s energy investment, but as an engineering effort that forms the first step of a future energy infrastructure that can be developed.
The school of the future can be a structure that not only provides education but also generates its own energy, manages its energy, and can contribute to the resilience of its neighborhood when needed.
Reltek Energy
Solar Energy • Energy Storage • SCADA • Energy Management Systems