The carbon footprint at one Calvert County school got a bit smaller this year with the installation of a 1.3 KW solar panel (photovoltaic) at Windy Hill Elementary. The panel was purchased through a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration that was administered by the Maryland State Department of Education. Energy produced by the solar panel feeds directly onto the grid, offsetting the energy consumed during the normal school day.
The Calvert County Public Schools Department of Facilities and CHESPAX collaborated to make this solar panel installation a tool to educate students about alternative energy, to reduce the carbon footprint at the school, and to save money on the school’s energy bill.
Energy education is a part of the fourth grade science curriculum in the Calvert County Public Schools. Students learn how natural resources are used in Maryland to produce the electricity that powers their homes and schools. The solar panel at Windy Hill is linked to an energy monitoring website called Fat Spaniel. Students – or anyone with an internet connection – can observe data from the solar panel in real time. A link to the Windy Hill solar panel data can be found on the Going Green webpage on www.calvertnet.k12.md.us.
Students – or anyone with an internet connection – can observe data from the solar panel in real time. The site displays the amount of energy being produced as well as a cumulative energy production from the solar installation. The site also includes the amount of carbon offset by the use of the solar panel and other interesting facts about the solar panel’s electricity production. Classes throughout Calvert County will monitor the site as a part of their fourth grade energy unit.
Students, staff and visitors at Windy Hill can observe via a large flat screen monitor in the school lobby a live feed of the energy production data from the solar panel. Such a prominent display helps raise awareness among the Windy Hill school community about alternative energy.
CHESPAX and the Department of Facilities will continue to work with teachers to develop opportunities for additional energy conservation projects as a part of our Green Schools to a Clean Bay initiative.
