The St Paul of the Cross School was founded in 1925 by the Sisters of Mercy and would later be staffed by Dominican Sisters.  The mission of the school was to nurture the adults of tomorrow.  The school is located at 140 S. Northwest Highway in Park Ridge, Illinois and is one of the latest schools in the Illinois Solar Schools Program funded by Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.   Joan Macpherson is the business manager and is the primary contact for the solar school project.  Lorelei Bobroff is the school principal.

The solar electricity system is 1,080 watts (6 Mage 180 watt panels) with an Enphase inverter.  The system was installed by Earth, Wind and Solar.  If you would like to see the electricity generation data, here is the link to their school page and the data link is right above the picture.

St Paul of the Cross School

One of the newest schools in the Illinois Solar Schools Program is Kewanee High School in Kewanee, Illinois.

The installation is a 1.25 kW PV system using 5 REC 250 watt solar panels and an Enphase inverter. The panels sit at a 35 degree angle and are mounted on the edge of the roof so they are visible to the students at the school for this school year and for many years to come.

Kewanee High School has over 500 students which is rather large for a rural school but the average
class size is only 17 students. James Bryan is the Principal and our primary contact. Here is how he describes his school:

Kewanee High School offers unique programs for a rural school.  Kewanee High School offers a wide range of Career and Technical Education courses in business, family and consumer sciences, agricultural, woods, and metals(including welding). Along with our traditional educational programming, students at Kewanee High School are offered multiple avenues to explore in order to prepare them for life after graduation.  Kewanee High School also offers “dual credit” courses with the local junior college, Black Hawk – East Campus. These dual credit courses allow students to earn both high school and college credit at the same time for a nominal fee.

One of the newest schools in the Illinois Solar Schools Program is Kimball Hill School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Illinois Kimball Hill School District 15

The installation is a 1.2 kW PV system using 5 Wanxiang 230 watt solar panels and an Enphase inverter.  The panels sit at a 30 degree angle and are mounted on the edge of the roof so they are visible to the students at the school for this school year and for many years to come.

The Wanxiang panels are assembled in Rockford, Illinois.

Kimball Hill is an elementary school in Community Consolidated School District No. 15.  Tracey Wrobel is the Principal.  There are approximately 550 students at the school and there will be a web page for this solar school project along with live data at www.IllinoisSolarSchools.org

There are two flows connected to every solar school project.

The first flow is electricity.  Sunlight hits your solar panels and this starts a process that ends with electricity flowing into your school.

The second flow is data/information.  An on line meter records the amount of solar electricity flowing into the school.  This is valuable in a lot of classroom teaching activities because it shows the students what the flow of solar electricity looks like.  Since it is impossible to see the electricity flowing, the data reveals the profile of that flow.  It records both the amount of electricity generated and also when that electricity is generated.

Solar Data

For example, we all know that almost no electricity will be generated at night when the sun is not shining light on the panels, but the profile will also demonstrate how the generation of electricity is lower at the start of each day and at the end of the day.  Sunrise and sunset provide less sunlight than the middle of the day or early afternoon.  We all know these facts, but the data display proves these facts in real time and in the form of a graph.

Now another value to having on line data monitoring is that it provides all of us with a way to determine if your system is working properly.  For example:  if someone accidentally turns off your solar electricity system there will be zero data in your monitoring profile. It may also be that someone turned off your data monitoring system and maybe your solar electricity part is working perfectly.  Either way, zero data in your monitoring profile alerts us that one of your flows is not working and we can then figure out what is not working and fix it.  Without the data monitoring profile, your system could be broken without anyone knowing it.  Since nothing burns, there is no flame to see.  Since nothing turns, there is nothing to watch rotating.   There is no way to know if your system is working without looking at some form of data device.

The on line devices we require to be part of every solar school project provide both teaching tools for your classrooms and, at the same time, provide you with a device that acts as an immediate warning that something is wrong with either your electricity flow or your data monitoring.

Footnote 1: most data systems allow for an e mail to be sent to one single person if there is any problem with the flow of your data.  This means you would be notified by Email the instant your data stopped flowing or flowed in a way that is inconsistent with your systems’ past profile.  You would not be notified by Email every night when the sun sets warning you that your system was no longer generating electricity because your profile would normally not be producing electricity at night.  But if your system stops showing electricity generation at 2:00 PM, you would get an immediate Email telling you to check your system.  If you want to get this type of notification at your school and you are currently not receiving it, Email me at Glen@LearnEnergy.org and I will help you set this up.

Footnote 2:  some data systems have a monthly cost.  Many data systems have no monthly cost for data monitoring.  If your school is currently paying a monthly data monitoring fee and you want to see if you have other options, Email me at Glen@LearnEnergy.org and I will help you with this options.

By Glen Kizer

Solar School Projects can be any size and shape, but we want the solar panels to be installed so they are visible from school grounds. The solar panels can be mounted on poles, awning style, installed near the ground, or on the edge of the roof, so long as the students can see them. Solar School projects are primarily educational and this experience is far more valuable for students if they are able to see the technology first-hand.

These solar panels are almost invisible to the students at this school.

The solar panels on this schools are always visible to the students.

In Solar School Projects where the arrays are large and installed for economic reasons, it may make sense to place the panels on the roof of the school. In our projects, the sizes of the systems are typically small and not designed for their economic benefit but for their educational value. If panels are hidden high on the roof of a school, it may be too dangerous for students to see them. Of course, your school can simply tell your students they are not allowed to see the solar panels because walking around on the roof is unsafe for students and potentially bad for the roof itself. How do you think that will work out long term? Students are often attracted to anything they are told they are not allowed to see. And why do the panels have to be hidden away? There is really no advantage to hiding the panels when it is just as easy to install them so that they are visible to the students at your school and maybe even the local community.

Also, as existing students graduate and leave the school, the new students may not even be aware there are panels hidden on the roof. This may be true with teachers as well. When teachers move on the new teachers may not know there are panels on the roof. If the panels are visible from school grounds, then the new students and teachers will know they are on your campus and ask about them and their educational value will continue over the long term.

–Glen Kizer

Solar Panels anyone? That’s right! Maine East High School celebrated its rightfully deserved “Solarbration” on Thursday, September13^th, 2012. Many students, teachers, and speakers participated in this event not just to celebrate, but to learn all about solar energy. It all started with energy-conscious students who were in the Renewable Energy Club along with East teachers David Schultz and Rebecca Stewart. They took action and made possible the installation of photo-voltaic panels that contribute to Maine East High School’s energy. These panels generate 1 kilowatt of power.

Exactly how do these solar panels work? As sunlight hits the panel with photons (particles of sunlight), it excites electrons which produce electricity. Photo-voltaic solar cells convert the sunlight into energy. This flow of electrons, or energy, is then led into an inverter, which converts the energy into AC power that is distributed to appliances and outlets inside the house, business, or school. AC power is what televisions, computers, and toasters use when plugged into wall outlets. Simple photo-voltaic cells power watches and even calculators. There are 3 types of Photo-voltaic systems: Utility Grid Interconnected, Off-Grid Independent, and Bi-Modal. Grid Connected systems are the simplest and most efficient Photo-voltaic set up. They are connected to the utility grids inside homes. Off-Grid systems operate without using the utility grid by using batteries as storage. These systems are usually used for buildings which are far away from their utility grids. Bi-Modal systems are similar to the Grid-Connected systems but Bi-Modal systems also use batteries as a backup energy source in case the utility grid fails. If the utility power ever goes out due to a storm, Bi-Modal systems can still work off of the backup battery source. It is basically a combination of the first two systems.

So, why should you buy and install solar panels? For one, sunlight is renewable. “My daughter loves to turn on all the beautiful lights in her room even when it is nice and sunny out.” said vice president John Caravette of Earth Wind and Solar Energy. If you have anyone in your family like that, solar panels will save you the money and energy! The panels don’t take much time to install and they last for twenty to forty years. That’s a long time! The solar energy which is converted into electricity also provides hot water for cleaning purposes, showering, and laundry. The energy is affordable and reliable, it is not dangerous to our health, it protects our environment because it does not pollute our land, water, air; and it does emit carbon dioxide unlike fossil fuels (which release large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon and methane). Of course, with pros always come cons. The problem is that photo-voltaic panels have a high initial cost. Also, the direct sunlight current has to be converted into an alternative current that is compatible to our homes. They also need electric storage and the grants cost about $8000 while the panels cost about $9000, as Mr. Schultz explained in his presentation at the “Solarbration.” Although these issues do play a big part, in the long run, solar panels really are what is best for the Earth in order to keep it healthy at a sustainable level.

There are currently companies and organizations that are helping in making people aware of solar energy and the power of the sun so that they may one day be convinced to use it. Companies such as Solar Service offer solar systems to install. The Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA) is dedicated to helping people pay less for their utilities and create a cleaner environment.

The “Solarbration” ended on a happy note as students left with pizza-filled stomachs, solar cars, and fresh knowledge about photo-voltaic panels. The event was a great success! Go Maine East!

Amisha Patel