Powering La Crosse schools, two new solar projects for 2023

After three profitable photo voltaic vitality tasks in La Crosse faculties, Photo voltaic on La Crosse Colleges (SOLS) is able to deal with two extra photo voltaic tasks subsequent 12 months.

On the darkest day of the 12 months, the winter solstice, SOLS introduced their tasks for 2023: putting in photo voltaic panels on the roof of La Crosse Polytechnic Faculty and constructing an outside “photo voltaic classroom” at Summit Elementary.

Along with the challenge announcement, SOLS launched its 2023 fundraising marketing campaign: “Energy for Studying.” The volunteer group, made up of oldsters, academics, college students and group members, has a fundraising objective of $100K for each tasks – thus far they’ve raised $9K.

“We’re very enthusiastic about the truth that we’re sharing two tasks this 12 months and that each of the tasks have an academic part,” mentioned Ben Golden, volunteer director of SOLS. “We actually like what it makes [solar energy] extra seen to college students and extra seen to the group as a result of we all know it has a multiplier impact. Individuals see photo voltaic and say, ‘I ponder if I can do this on my home.’ So we’re enthusiastic about that type of multiplier impact. “

Since 2020, the group has accomplished three extra photo voltaic tasks within the college district: a photo voltaic panel at Summit to energy their signal, putting in panels at Hamilton Elementary and their largest challenge but. at Northside Elementary. That is the primary time that they’ll do two tasks collectively.

The photo voltaic panel set up at La Crosse Polytechnic will generate 30 to 50 kilowatts of electrical energy, sufficient to offset almost half of the constructing’s vitality wants.

As well as, it would function an academic software for varsity college students in project-based studying. College students will find out about photo voltaic era and join with photo voltaic installers to study extra about inexperienced vitality jobs.

“I am actually excited that photo voltaic will probably be put in at our faculty as a result of I really feel prefer it’s a beautiful alternative to scale back our carbon footprint,” mentioned Miles Purney, a seventh grader at Polytechnic. “It’ll do quite a lot of fascinating tasks right here at Poly, like accumulating information, together with giving an inside have a look at how photo voltaic vitality works. So I really feel like it’ll fund quite a lot of analysis and exploration.

Josh Wilke, a counselor and math trainer on the Polytechnic, thinks this can be a good alternative to not solely cut back the varsity’s dependence on fossil fuels but additionally function an academic alternative.

“I feel getting this photo voltaic panel goes to be a wealthy alternative, particularly by the lens of science and math the place college students are making the connection to what inexperienced vitality is,” Wilke mentioned. “Then [the students] get the actual information from the panels too. I like that as a math trainer as a result of while you begin counting your relationship with the surroundings, you can also make some optimistic modifications.

Polytechnic college students have begun to acknowledge the affect of photo voltaic vitality on their lives by calculating how a lot home items – reminiscent of air-con items, hair dryers or toasters – a month of photo voltaic vitality can energy from panels at Hamilton Elementary.

The second challenge is a 30 kilowatt photo voltaic panel set up as a part of an outside classroom at Summit Elementary, the district’s environmental themed college. The construction will probably be an open idea timber body with photo voltaic panels on the roof.

Because the volunteer group strikes into their fourth 12 months of tasks, they hope to proceed selling, educating and serving to fund photo voltaic tasks within the college district for years to return. Golden mentioned that they’ve an excellent working relationship with the district and he hopes that the district will take into account photo voltaic set up as an upfront funding for brand spanking new buildings.