A screen grab of the Dec. 7 Mason City Board of Education meeting when Rich Patras shared his Energy Conservation Program Board Update. Gunnar Davis
Rich Patras, the energy manager for the Mason City Community School District, says he has saved the district over $5 million during his 20 years in the position.
$5,401,045 to be exact.
Patras is passionate about his job within the district. Some nights he will swing by the school buildings just to check and see if there are lights on. If so, heâll go in and shut them off.
During the winter break, when teachers and other staff are off, thatâs when heâs the most active within the school buildings.
GameChange Solar Unveils Bifacial Tracker Reflector Technology to Boost Power Production 15-20%
NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ GameChange Solar today announced BifacialReflector, a patent-pending new technology which dramatically increases power production for the GameChange Solar Genius Tracker with bifacial modules. The technology is a highly reflective (.95 albedo), permanent solid surface up to 4m wide, which reflects light from just above ground level to the back of the bifacial modules. This technology is a significant improvement over other ideas since it is not a ground cover which has a limited life and requires constant maintenance. BifacialReflector is a self-cleaning, long-term (40-year life) solution. The reflectors can boost the gain by up to an estimated total of 15-20% when using bifacial modules, which is approximately 5-8% extra gain versus other bifacial trackers which do not have BifacialReflector technology.