Here Comes The Sun: Solar Panels Installed

Beginner

Posted on: 24 Mar, 2009 05:36 AM

We’re all looking for something to be optimistic about these days. We’re looking for inspiration, which is exactly what I found at my children’s school last Friday morning.

Below is a photo from the inauguration ceremony for the new solar panels at my children’s school, the Novato Charter School.

After years of hard work and meetings and creative fundraising on the part of our director and board, our children’s small school, The Novato Charter School, was able to install state of the art solar panels on all of modular classroom rooftops. (The panels are called solar photovoltaic flat panel laminated collectors).

Ours is a tiny school, built and run by a small group of administrators and faculty with the help of a highly involved parent body. Everything that has happened at the Novato Charter School is the result of individual dedication and vision. In 2001 the district gave the school a "site". It was a big chunk of asphalt, a former air force base. The bad news was that there was nothing - no classrooms, no offices, no trees, no play structures or sport courts. Administrators, teachers and parents have had to create an environment for the children from scratch, making all kinds of personal donations of time and money and taking out loans to purchase facilities. The good news, eight years later, is that the school grounds get a near- constant wash of the sun’s rays. The treeless land became a blessing, providing the potential to harness the sunshine, enough energy to power the school.

If ever there were a great location for solar panels, this is it. The hope is that the energy saved will pay back the investment in just a bit over a decade. We even want to put energy back into the grid. Imagine our school, and the so many other schools that are sitting out in the middle of great expanses of blacktop, selling energy back to the state. The little schools that could.

The very best part is that our children are learning about alternative energy. They are learning to use science creatively. They are learning that when the economy has fallen apart and the climate is warming due to human activity, people will come together and do something. We humans can find a way to do better, to make changes and protect the future our children will inherit.

Here is a photo of my daughter Jensen at the ceremony.

Here is a wide shot of our school

Here is a video of my oldest daughter’s 7th Grade class singing “Here Comes The Sun” just before the solar panels were turned on.

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smileyM

Submitted by SmileyM on 06 Apr, 2009 08:59 PM

Wow, it's great to have "solar panel system" in your daughter's school!
In my neighborhood, I only see a few panels to houses not to schools.
Nowadays, in the global ecology, it is very good way for children to learn the solar energy system through the panels.

I love the Sun! and love the song your daughter and school mates sang; thank you for showing us the video!

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Kenneth

Submitted by Kenneth on 24 Mar, 2009 03:50 PM

The very best part is that our children are learning about alternative energy.
They are learning to use science creatively. They are learning that
when the economy has fallen apart and the climate is warming due to human
activity, people will come together and do something. We humans can find a
way to do better, to make changes and protect the future our children will
inherit.

This is so inspiring! I especially love what you say above about keeping children in the loop. They are the generation that will take over and help improve and drive our current efforts to get out of the mess we've created. It's important that they know this is possible and that they were part of the solution. Congratulations to your school for the example they are setting!

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raymond

Submitted by Raymond on 24 Mar, 2009 03:42 PM

Go solar go! I'm a huge fan of solar power. I really believe that it's the future. It's so great that this generation is seeing it and embracing it. I look forward to growing old and seeing what the next generation of environmentalists do with green technology. I believe we've only scratched the surface! Go kids go!

________________________________

"Found the right path. Turned left."

Write your 6 word memoir.
http://www.englishcafe.com/chatcafe/6-Word-Memoirs-2646

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creative

Submitted by Creative on 24 Mar, 2009 02:37 PM

Hi Kirsten,

Thank you for sharing such a special event This is a very unique school! It is exciting to see this tremendous accomplishment! It is wonderful to see that everyone is committed to creating such a vibrant, stimulating learning environment!

Anna

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MrTESOL

Submitted by MrTESOL on 24 Mar, 2009 12:46 PM

Wow, solar trees! I had never heard of them before.
Rob.

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gomathi

Submitted by Gomathi on 24 Mar, 2009 07:32 AM

This is great to implement in a school, that too in a mere army base ground, with the involvement of parents and teachers. And, the children singing together is just wonderful to watch and listen:)

I wanted to know more about tapping solar energy into electrical energy. I understood that a photovoltaic module or a panel is a package of photovoltaic cells/solar cells, again connected electrically, wired and fastened together.

It is surprising to note that these cells also are in need of protection from the environment. It is usually covered by a glass and backed by metallic frames. Have posted some pictures which I could browse. I wish a lot more could come up in India too, where solar energy is abundant.

Reminded of the childhood days where we could play burning a piece of paper with a lens under the sun:)
This picture is a photovoltaic tree in Austria.