Story submitted by Karalee Browne

It is one of my favorite events of the year: Our Solar Schools March “Science” Madness Event. Teachers from throughout PG&E’s service territory gather in Sacramento to learn how to incorporate solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources into their everyday lesson plans. At this particular event, we also honor the new Solar Schools and Bright Ideas Winners. The day is full of such and incredible “energy” only a group of teachers can create. There is brainstorming, networking, and wonderful ideas swirling in the air. You can hear whispers of “Congratulations” and “Thank yous” throughout the room. But it was one “Thank you” in particular that I will never forget.

I was sitting at the registration table when Melanie Moreno of Niles Elementary in Fremont came up to me with a “Thank you” that really touched me. Ms. Moreno is a Bright Ideas grant winner. In the Fall of 2006, she received $2,500 to support a science lab project that benefits more than 400 students each year. At each grade level, students participate in a unit focusing on solar energy. The energy units vary in length from four to ten weeks, depending upon grade level. In every unit students engage in hands-on, standards-based activities, which introduce them to the nature and importance of solar energy to our lives and our planet. Ms. Moreno gave such a heart-felt thank you saying that without the PG&E grant, this program would not be possible. She went on to thank me for the training we were providing her that day, and said that her only regret about attending was that she was missing her lab day with the students.

I am proud of the opportunities we are able to provide teachers because of the PG&E Solar Schools Program. Since the program began, we have awarded almost $500,000 in grants that go directly to teachers. Their dedication, creativity and enthusiasm continue to amaze me.

www.pge.com/solarschools/

On Tuesday, March 25, 2008 solar cooking became “mainstream” in California. California Ag Day was held on the west steps of the state Capitol building. This year’s theme was “Decisions Today will be Impacting Tomorrow.” Thousands attended to see booths relating to agriculture in California and healthy eating. Over 1,200 people sampled solar cooked sweet potatoes made by 6th graders from Paradise Intermediate School’s Evergreen 6 program and 4th-5th grade students from Plainfield school in Woodland. Those sampling the solar-oven-made goods included hundreds from the public, celebrity chef Guy Fieri from the Food Network, and several policy makers including assemblymen and the Governor himself! The following story shares some perspectives from that day.

“Talking to many people at on time about how our solar ovens work and what we came to do that day, was hard, but soon got easier as the day wore on. I started to say the same thing over and over again, and had to find something new to say. When I found something that sounded right, I would start to say that over again and would start the process again. Near the end of the day, the governor came around to all the booths to try the great food and listen to people talking about the agriculture of California. At first I was nervous, but near the end of my part of the speech, it was just like talking to a regular person.” Serenity Fitzgerald, 6th Grade – Evergreen 6

“On Tuesday March 25, 2008, Evergreen 6 took thirteen students to the California State Agriculture day. I was one of those lucky thirteen students to attend. Serenity Fitzgerald and I recited the following speech: ‘Hello, would you like to try a sweet potato that we have made in our solar ovens? We are a solar school in Paradise, California and our name is Evergreen 6. We are a solar school because we have a solar panel at our school and we have sixteen ovens that we have cooked in today.’ Little did we know that one of the people we would be reciting this speech to was the governor of California: Arnold Schwarzenegger! After he tried one he said, ‘Good job. Fabulous, keep up the good work.’ Serenity and I shook his hand and then he moved on. The task of serving the governor was exciting and rewarding.”
Jennifer Olson, 6th Grade – Evergreen 6

“In Sacramento, at the California on Agriculture Day, I was cooking sweet potato fries. We cooked them at about 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. We cooked 30 bags of them. The normal temperature for cooking them is 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes. Since our ovens did not get that hot we had to make do with what we had. It was very quick going after a while. We put salt and pepper on the fries. We served them on toothpicks and in cups.”
Cooper Hawkley, 6th Grade – Evergreen 6

“Our students were thrilled to serve Governor Schwarzenegger some of our solar-baked fries and tell him about our solar oven project. The students working at the serving table, Jennifer and Serenity were very professional and did an awesome job talking to the governor, as well as all of the other visitors to our booth. Other students kept an eye on the food as it cooked in the sun and talked to passers-by about how the solar ovens cook food using only the energy form the sun. Watching our students educate others about the importance of conservation and renewable energy was a powerful experience!”
Amy Behlke, a teacher from Evergreen 6

“The students really stole the show. They were incredibly professional and well prepared. I am so proud that they are part of the PG&E Solar Schools Program.”
Karalee Browne, Charitable Contributions/ Solar Schools Program Manager

A PG&E “Bright Ideas Grant” made the students’ purchase of 16 sun ovens possible. These durable yet portable ovens will bake virtually anything you can bake in your home oven and they use zero electricity! The project is aimed at teaching students to understand solar and renewable energy through hands-on activities. One goal of the project is to sell baked items, then use the proceeds to send more solar ovens to a remote village in Africa. With PG&E’s help, the students are on their way to sending a second oven! Another goal of the project is to increase awareness of solar energy.

As a major sponsor of the event, PG&E did more than just “talk the talk.” “What better, and fun way, to illustrate the impact renewable power can make on our future than to have a celebrity chef instruct our future leaders on the importance of healthy eating by using solar power?” said Vice President of Civic Partnerships and Community Initiatives Ophelia Basgal.While a solar trailer powered the California Ag Day sound system, celebrity chef, Guy Fieri was cooking in a solar-powered kitchen. His enthusiasm and energy were contagious. He mingled with the crowd, happily signing autographs and talking with fans.

An event like this does not happen without hard work and great organization. There are many at PG&E that created this perfect “solar storm.” A special thanks to the following:

• Event Planners: Susie Martinez, Tracy Gremillion
• Solar Schools Program Manager: Karalee Browne
• Public Affairs: Dan Kim
• Area Support: Dolly Hazel, Jeannette Ho (Helmet)
• News Support Jennifer Ramp , Paul Moreno

In the end, the day exceeded everyone’s expectations. Greg Holman, another teacher from Evergreen 6 adds, “The students were extremely excited to be part of California Ag Day. As the hundreds in attendance started to crowd around the solar ovens, they began to see that they were truly sharing something most people are not aware of. Many asked where they could buy their own solar oven, and even more walked away with a huge smile. Not only was the food delicious, it was made virtually carbon-free! Solar cooking on the Capitol steps seems like it could not be topped. Add to that the huge interest in solar cooking, friendly celebrity chef Guy Fieri, and a visit by a genuinely interested celebrity governor! Everyone involved will never forget that day….”

PG&E announced the awardees for the next 40 PG&E Solar Schools Projects, which will bring 100 schools online in the coming months.  Congratulations to the new awardees!

http://www.pge.com/about/news/mediarelations/newsreleases/q1_2008/080318.shtml

Explorit Museum Davis, CA

Story input provided by The Explorit Museum staff

A “solar tree” has taken root in the backyard of Explorit’s Mace Park Branch, and like a real tree, it soaks up the sunshine. Then it converts that energy to electricity for the science center’s use. The owls, and students that visit Explorit Museum are taking notice (burrowing owl’s occupy a large field next to the museum).

Explorit’s new solar panels are installed together in what is called “an array.” Each array generates electricity for the building to which it is attached. Our array provides electricity to our building. PG&E is now finishing up its first 100 k-12 schools and PG&E is also putting solar arrays on other public buildings like the Oakland Zoo and the Chabot Space and Science Center, the LGBT Center and Project Open Hand in San Francisco, as well as the San Francisco Food Bank and of course our own Explorit science museum.

“The PG&E Solar Schools Program has been installing free-standing solar panels at schools all over its service territory. Explorit was one the first science museums invited to participate,” explains Suzanne Ullensvang, former executive director of Explorit and the point person for the project. “We originally contacted PG&E about various energy saving incentives and programs, such as solar panels and their Savings by Design program for new construction.”

PG&E donated the system and its installation to Explorit free of charge as part of a grant program for schools and museums. Data collected by each array is made available on a computer kiosk so school children and other Explorit visitors can learn about solar energy.

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that will help us be less dependent on fossil fuel. Solar panels help reduce the energy impact on the environment. They can produce surplus power for others and reduce energy demand on the California grid. Based on a very rough estimate, Explorit’s solar array will produce about 3 percent of the energy used to operate the main building at the facility on Fifth street.

“In addition to the array of panels and installation, which was provided at no cost, PG&E also provided a computer kiosk installed by Solar City, which students at the site can use to access information on the Web. So in addition to generating electricity, which saves on energy costs for Explorit, the energy collected can be monitored. Kids at schools — and now museums — all over the country can compare how much energy is being collected in many different spots across the United States. On any given day and at any given time comparisons can be made between an array of panels in Seattle versus a panel in San Diego and on any of the solar school projects around the PG&E service territory. Solar trends can be observed over a whole season or year. Students can ask how sunny is it in Tucson today? Which panel generated the most electricity in September?” Ullensvang said.

According to Explorit’s program director, Megan Chiosso, the array will be an important component of Explorit’s nature-related exhibits and activities at the Mace Park Branch. It also complements the solar calendar in Mace Ranch Park, part of Sam Tubiolo’s art installation of 2006.

Some engaging concepts for a variety of outdoor learning environments have already been developed for the Mace Ranch site, including a weather station. Explorit is hoping to integrate the solar panel activities as part of its Nature Labs, which involve students in in-depth investigations of natural processes. The system might be incorporated into an activity on how energy from the sun is linked to the start of the energy cycle for plants and animals.

PG&E also provides an extensive set of curricula that Explorit hopes to use as part of the summer camp programs, and as the basis for occasional Family Explorations programs.

According to Glen Kizer of the Foundation for Environmental Education, who is working in cooperation with PG&E to include 100 new solar schools in Northern California, the project is about education first and electricity generation second.

“It does produce power, but the main point that PG&E is trying to make is about learning. Everyone has driven by and seen solar panels and some people have them on their offices, but it is important for people, young and old, to really understand the science and math of solar electricity,” Kizer explained. “This 1-kilowatt system will not produce a large percentage of the electricity used by Explorit, but will help everyone see how much electricity this system produces and they can do the math to see how much it would take to supply power to their homes and businesses… The panels and accompanying materials provide a fixed reference point by which a lot can be learned about solar electricity in the Davis area and there are lots of exercises for kids to help them improve their math and science skills,” Kizer said.

Public reaction to the project has been fantastic and the demand is growing every day Kizer said. Hundreds more schools have or will have systems installed across the country and around the world, including one in England, two in Haiti, and 8 in Ecuador.

When students interact with the panel and kiosk the basic things Kizer hopes they learn are that solar panels produce electricity the way a light bulb produces light energy.

“We all know a 40 watt bulb produces 40 watts of light energy. Now the students will be able to learn what a 1-kilowatt per hour PV system will produce in electricity in an hour of sunlight. Today they know what light bulb to buy. Later they will understand which PV system to buy.”

We get a lot of questions about how the exact location for the “PG&E Solar Schools program Solar on a Stick” gets selected. The story about how the spot was picked at the Presidio Middle School in San Francisco (right on the north side of Geary) illustrates how this process is a little bit science and a little bit math with some important diplomatic negotiations thrown in.

Science: The solar panels are installed at the top of a pole and angled toward the sun. They have to face south and there should be nothing shading the panels. All of the PG&E Solar Schools projects are installed as close to the same conditions as possible to make sure that schools are able to compare/contrast solar systems with location and weather as the dynamic variables affecting performance. What is under the panels and around the base of the pole doesn’t really matter much, but we never want anything between the panels and the sun. There are normally a lot of areas available at schools that work well for the installation, but urban schools can present a bit more of a challenge. We don’t want to impact playground space and need to work around existing structures. We use a device called a Solmetric SunEye that measures the path of the sun and basically tells us whether or not each location is good, bad, or in between. I have to tell you that Alyssa usually does this so I am going to let her explain the devices that she uses to “test the sun.”

Thanks Glen. In the past, we used a device called a Solar Pathfinder, which has been around since the 70’s and still works well. Many get a chuckle out of the fact that I refer to the 70’s pathfinder device as “old school” but still good! In fact, we often start with this device as the lower tech (but still accurate) tool.

We walk around the school campus, and discuss which areas:

1. Are preferred by the administration (this is where the diplomatic negotiations start – everybody has a different opinion, and we need consensus before we can move forward),
2. Are relatively unobstructed by trees or structure shade and “safe” from flying objects (other than the sun’s rays),
3. Are relatively close to where we need to connect the system to a panel to feed the clean solar power into the classrooms.

We triangulate between these three necessary inputs, and take measurements at each site. When we get close to one or two potential locations, we take measurements with a Solmetric SunEye – this is the high-tech updated tool. Below is a sample of an image taken from Presidio Middle School. The lines represent hours of the day and months of the year – this site, as you can see, is pretty darn close to perfect! But the story doesn’t end here.

Math: We have to make sure that the installation is not too far from the electrical box where we connect the solar array with the PG&E electricity grid, and that the numbers work (see the Solmetric chart above). It is expensive and disruptive to run wires underneath asphalt and concrete, and even to trench in a grass yard. There can be some loss of electricity when the wire carrying the solar energy has to travel a long distance. Some of the “solar on sticks” had to be put pretty far from buildings just because of shading and other issues, but we try and measure the distance between the site where the pole might go, where the PG&E service comes in, and where our closest electrical subpanel is located. We also can’t be within 10 feet of a retaining wall or structure because of code restrictions. We weight all of the necessary inputs, and then talk as a group about the preferred location. As you can guess, not all of the inputs can be quantified – future plans for the site, personal opinions on aesthetics (including those of neighbors), and other topics come in to the discussion.

Compromise: Finally, we have to take the school’s staff and students and activities into consideration. We won’t put the panels in front of a walkway so the students would have to walk around it, and we don’t want to put the pole in the middle of a baseball field or soccer field or basketball court. We need to keep the fire lanes clear. Our favorite spots are unobstructed spots in the front of a school or near the science classrooms so that the students can see the solar panels everytime they walk in or from their desks in the science wing where they might be looking at the online data monitoring site. Ultimately, there are often non scientific and non mathematical compromises that determine the final location. And this is where we get back to Presidio Middle School, and finish our story about X marking a spot.

The Presidio Middle School is a huge and beautiful historic looking building built in 1930 that sits off of Geary Street in San Francisco. There is a wonderful gymnasium and expansive playground. The walls and roof remind you how we used to build schools a very long time ago- we built them to stand for a long time, and the artistry of the day was included in the building lines. I love the look of that school.

When we first visited the school we met with school administrators and we selected a spot for the pole based on a number of the factors that I talked about above. The location was good and everyone present agreed to it. But then Alyssa got an update from Assistant Principal John Greener. He said the woman in charge of physical education opposed the spot for the solar on a stick installation. She had plans for a long jump track in that area and the pole would interfere with her plans. She had not been at the original meeting, but she was now voicing her opposition to the area of the playground where we were about to do the installation.

So Alyssa and I met John Greener at the school office and he called several of the science teachers and the PE teacher to the playground. Alyssa and I walked around and Alyssa used her device to make a mental note of the locations where the pole could go and then we all met in a group discussion in the middle of the playground. We talked about the science issues and the math issues and then we got around to the location we had chosen originally. The first location seemed impossible, but an interesting thing happened. The PE teacher started asking about all of the various locations where the pole could go and a funny thing happened. She made a suggestion for a location and we all looked at it and everyone nodded, “that works.” It was in fact a better location from a science perspective.

For me, the spot did not look like it would be acceptable to the woman in charge of the playgrounds because it was in the middle of the playground. But what none of us had realized was that the location she offered to us was in between a number of play areas. While it is centrally located, it does not interfere with any individual play area. We had all tried to find a location that was a little “out of the way” of the play areas and she had come back with a much better location for us that is in the middle of the entire playground and very visible to traffic on Geary. We could not have picked a better location. (I did ask everyone from John Greener to science teachers to the PE teacher to Alyssa to point to the spot so that we had evidence that this was in fact the location, but I did it more for fun than to resolve any future disputes. The fight was over and the compromise worked out so much better for the project than any of our original choices. The day Alyssa and I drove to the school it sounded like a fight was brewing, but in the end everyone was laughing and happy. Science and math had won a victory…on the playground.

Story submitted by Glen Kizer

Recently I have spent a lot of time at Oakland High School because our solar school team has been working to install a system as a part of the PG&E Solar Schools Program. The system is in and there will be a solar celebration this spring, but I have been privileged to go into the school and to get to talk to some of their students and staff. What I have found is that Oakland High School (OHS) has its own solar school team and it is working well.

I spoke to a number of their AP Science Classes and two (2) block classes of 10th grade biology and I also spoke at their Science Teachers Meeting after school. Katie Noonan and Kevin Jordan, who are co-Directors of the Environmental Science Academy at OHS, asked me to talk to their students and fellow science teachers. The Environmental Science Academy is open to all OHS students and has been in existence for 10 years.  They receive special funding from the State of California and they take field trips with an environmental slant to them.  Ms. Noonan is trying to organize a tour of a nuclear power plant. 

Everyone is so excited about the fact that their school was accepted in the PG&E Solar Schools Program. Katie and Kevin have their classrooms directly across from one another and for some of the class periods they would combine students in one room or another. Both Katie and Kevin were nice to ask me to come in, and while it appeared that I was running the classes, the two of them kept things on track and were in complete control of the direction of the discussions. I realized how some really good teachers make teaching look easy, but after staying in those classrooms for hours, I also realized how really hard it is to teach. If I were the President, teachers would make more money. The students asked questions all day and the Oakland HS science teachers all seem extremely intelligent and completely committed to their students and to the sciences. Some of the teachers have been to the NEED training and more are going. It is obvious from their excitement that solar energy will become a big part of their science curricula.

In fact, a teacher, Ceasar Lopez, has a solar car contest in his 9th grade science classes every year and his class won a nation wide competition using a solar powered train.  And Ms Noonan once had a student design a solar powered water treatment plant.  This school was already excited about solar energy and now they have their own “solar on a stick” that makes electricity for the school every day. 

On several occasions I have also been able to meet with Principal Mary Scott who may be the perfect principal. She is tall and confident and appears to be both strong and yet very nice. Principal Scott is also excited about the PG&E partnership at her school. She also talks about how nice the “solar guys” were and how they moved some lunch tables for her and how well they cleaned up the spot after the installation was complete.

Ms. Scott arranged for the pole to go in next to one of the primary doors so a huge percentage of her students see the solar panels several times a day. It is also positioned just outside the science department. She is committed to the solar project and everyone understands this at the school. The administration is completely supportive of this project and that is always important because the students and the faculty need to know the business side of the school has their back. At OHS, the administration is behind them.

If the students, teachers, and school administration are three (3) of the teammates in this project, then the final player on the OHS Solar Team may be security. There is always a threat of vandalism at any school and the solar array does sometimes attract vandals. In the hundreds of installations that I have been involved with there have been almost no acts of violence against any of the solar projects, but there have been a few and it has to be considered every time we do an installation.

At OHS, the security guard near the solar panels is named Tesfai Haile, (I took a picture of him after the pole went in and then another after the panels were installed…a kind of before and after.) The first time I parked near the spot where the pole was to be installed, I worried my car would be towed, but Tesfai told me not to worry and I didn’t. After that, whenever I visit the school, I go to the back and look for Tesfai and he talks about how much better the weather is in California than Ohio (where I am from) and then we talk about solar and the students and security. Like Principal Mary Scott, he is nice and is always smiling, but he also appears to be strong and smart and is constantly watching over the school yard looking for trouble. But he is not only protecting the school, he is also watching out over those solar panels. I am sure PG&E feels better about the fact that Tesfai is watching out over their gift.

So, Oakland High School has a working solar electricity system that will help their students understand how 100% clean electricity can be generated right there on school property. Teachers will use the PV system to help teach science and math and the administration can help introduce renewable energy to the neighborhood. And all of them now understand how working together as a team they can accomplish something that none of them could have done on their own. This is a great project at a great school with absolutely wonderful people and I believe more great things are coming for their “solar team.”