Early Light Academy, a charter school located in the Daybreak Community, received two grants from local corporations to install solar panels at its. Early Light Academy was one of only four schools to be funded through the Rocky Mountain Power Blue Sky Renewable Energy Program.
"Our philosophy is based on sustainable, renewable living practices, so this fits in well with what the kids are already learning," Bonnie Hagen, a fifth grade teacher at Early Light, said.
"The students have regular lessons on environmental issues in science and social studies, as well as projects based on how their actions affect the world and its future," Hagen said.
On March 4, the school held a kick-off celebration with an assembly for the students that explained what the solar panels were for and how they would be used. The solar panels feature array of 44 panels with 10.1 kWh power for each panel. Annually they will generate almost 18,000 kilowatt hours.
The Early Light Academy solar project was made possible in part by more than 30,000 Utah residential and business customers participating in Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky Renewable Energy Program. This program is a voluntary green power program that provides a simple and convenient way to support the development of new renewable energy resources in the West, including projects like this one.
The Early Light Solar Panel Project was designed and built by contractors at Wasatch Sun, a local company based in Alpine that specializes in solar design, emergency generator integration, and energy conservation techniques.
The project included the solar panels, a display in the school's entryway with real-time data of how much energy is saved by the solar panels and a link to a website showing the same data.
Wasatch Sun played a key role as the contractor for the project. "The first step to installing a successful solar PV system is the site survey," Geoff Jones, a Wasatch Sun rep., said.
Each of the panels works better when they are on the south side of the roof, Jones said. They produce more energy this way.
Early Light Academy plans on having a ribbon cutting for the project April 29 at noon and the public is invited to attend.
By Alisha Tondro for TheSouth Valley
http://www.southvalleyjournal.com/pages/full_story/?id=6028&type=Articles&numitems=1&startitem=0&showimages=1
The grant gave Early Light about $50,000 for the project. Rio Tinto/Kennecott Copper's environmental funding program awarded an additional $6,600 to complete the project.
Early Light Academy recently installed the photovoltaic system which will displace some of the school's electricity costs and reduce its carbon footprint. Although the grant was awarded almost five months ago, the project itself only took three weeks to complete.
Academy officials estimate they will save about $2,000 per year on the school's electricity bill. To see how much of an effect the panels will have on the school's carbon footprint, the school has set up a website to track the statistics. This can be found at http://live.deckmonitoring.com/?id=early_light_solar_generation.
In addition to the photovoltaic system, the school will use part of the funding to educate the students and community about sustainable living and renewable resources through a green living website and additional curriculum. This site may be found at www.earlylightacademy.org/greenliving."Our philosophy is based on sustainable, renewable living practices, so this fits in well with what the kids are already learning," Bonnie Hagen, a fifth grade teacher at Early Light, said.
"The students have regular lessons on environmental issues in science and social studies, as well as projects based on how their actions affect the world and its future," Hagen said.
On March 4, the school held a kick-off celebration with an assembly for the students that explained what the solar panels were for and how they would be used. The solar panels feature array of 44 panels with 10.1 kWh power for each panel. Annually they will generate almost 18,000 kilowatt hours.
The Early Light Academy solar project was made possible in part by more than 30,000 Utah residential and business customers participating in Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky Renewable Energy Program. This program is a voluntary green power program that provides a simple and convenient way to support the development of new renewable energy resources in the West, including projects like this one.
The Early Light Solar Panel Project was designed and built by contractors at Wasatch Sun, a local company based in Alpine that specializes in solar design, emergency generator integration, and energy conservation techniques.
The project included the solar panels, a display in the school's entryway with real-time data of how much energy is saved by the solar panels and a link to a website showing the same data.
Wasatch Sun played a key role as the contractor for the project. "The first step to installing a successful solar PV system is the site survey," Geoff Jones, a Wasatch Sun rep., said.
Each of the panels works better when they are on the south side of the roof, Jones said. They produce more energy this way.
Early Light Academy plans on having a ribbon cutting for the project April 29 at noon and the public is invited to attend.
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| Early Light Academy recognizes that without the assistance of a generous grant and the funding and expertise of other sponsors, the solar panels installed at the school would have never happened. These sponsors include Rocky Mountain Power and Wasatch Sun. |
By Alisha Tondro for The
Published in April 2011 in Riverton, Utah
http://www.southvalleyjournal.com/pages/full_story/?id=6028&type=Articles&numitems=1&startitem=0&showimages=1
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