Students at East High School have always been considered bright, and the addition of a new solar energy system is helping to light the way for continued learning. The school is the beneficiary of a 1.7 kilowatt rooftop solar array made possible by a funding award from Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program. In January, nine 190-watt Evergreen photovoltaic panels were installed on the school’s roof with the help of enthusiastic science teachers — making East High the second public school in Utah to generate solar energy as part of Renewable Synergy’s Utah Solar Schools Initiative.

“Students and faculty at East High, and especially the science teachers, are excited to be able to use our solar panels as a hands-on teaching resource to demonstrate how we can generate electricity from clean, renewable sources,” said Dr. Paul Sagers, principal, East High School. “We appreciate the generosity of Rocky Mountain Power and the company’s Blue Sky customers for their support of science education in the Salt Lake City School District. Students and teachers actually helped to assemble and mount the solar panels on the roof of the school, and we’re proud to have been able to work together on this project.”

With support from the Blue Sky program, Renewable Synergy initiated, engineered and installed Utah’s first solar array on Entheos Academy Charter School, in the Kearns area, in January 2007. As part of its Utah Solar Schools Initiative, Renewable Synergy has a goal to teach Utah’s current and future students about renewable energy technologies, environmental responsibility and energy efficiency. This knowledge will help empower Utah students in facing the energy challenges of their generation. Incorporating a solar PV system in a school building provides a catalyst that aids educators in achieving this goal.

A second round of Blue Sky funding awarded last year enabled Renewable Synergy to design and install the East High solar array and will provide for the installation of a third solar PV system at Ecker Hill International Middle School in Park City. Renewable Synergy plans to install a 1.7-kilowatt solar array at Ecker Hill this spring as soon as weather conditions are more favorable.

“This solar project provides a terrific opportunity for East High School students and the Salt Lake City community to learn more about the benefits of renewable energy,” said Karen Gilmore, Rocky Mountain Power vice president of customer services. “Renewable energy sources are, and will continue to be, a valuable part of the diverse resource mix used to provide for our customers’ electricity needs now and into the future.”

 See story in Salt Lake Tribune