Utah School’s solar power serves as an example for students
Roxana Orellana /The Salt Lake Tribune, March 12, 2007
Source. The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5415859
KEARNS – Energy generated since January at Entheos Academy is enough to power nine homes for a day or operate a television for more than 3,000 hours. That’s thanks to the recent installation of 12 solar panels in the roof of the first-year charter school at 4710 W. 6200 South. “We want to get students thinking about [renewable energy] and get them excited,” said Brian Smith, manager of Renewable Synergy LLC, which designed and installed the panels. Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program awarded $37,500 to pay for the project after approving Smith’s funding request.
Smith said his company, which installs panels and wind turbines, has a solar school initiative that focuses on teaching students about renewable energy. “One way to do that is to put solar panels at the schools,” he said. Three of his children are enrolled at Entheos, making the school a good candidate for the project. In addition to adding solar panels, the school, which serves 420 students from kindergarten through seventh grade, added lessons on renewable energy to its curriculum.
School Director Mike Farley said the project fits well with the school’s approach to learning. Entheos uses a comprehensive reform model that involves more project-based learning. The solar panels were designed with a monitoring system that provides real-time data. Students can monitor how weather and other factors affect energy generation throughout the day. The system also indicates how many kilowatts are generated in a day, week, month or year.
With sustainable energy becoming one of the major challenges facing future generations, projects such as that under way at Entheos help students develop a better understanding of the issue, Farley said. “Hopefully, as a school we can lead as an example in this particular endeavor,” he said. The panels provide only part of the school’s total energy usage. It is estimated the panels will generate about 3,800 kilowatt hours annually for the school.