Solar Project

Solar Highlights:

bulletSolar energy is demonstrably viable in Oregon.
bulletThe school is very excited about the educational relevance of the project.
bulletThe children will have daily access to the energy production data of the system.
bulletThe Energy Trust of Oregon has programs for businesses and homes, and connects interested parties to other financial support and promotional options.  For more info, go to energytrust.org.
bulletThe system is easy to maintain and will save the school money for decades to come. 

Q: Why is the school interested in electricity generation?

A: The Montessori education philosophy is holistic with an emphasis on awareness and respect for the health of the environment.  We all recognize the global concerns associated with non-renewable and polluting energy based on fossil fuels.  Students have expressed an interest in furthering their understanding of renewable energy.  The Montessori educational approach emphasizes experiential learning; having this system at our school lets the students experience it directly so they can measure and monitoring its production, and create other related math and science projects.  Locating solar generation on our premises also supports our community relevance goals.

Q: What is the significance of the solar installation to the school community?

A: The entire school community: teachers, children, parents and alumni are excited to see this project come thru.   Besides the energy bill savings, the project makes a statement about the school’s value system.  The learning wall provides an active framework for the children to learn about harnessing the perpetual power of the sun to make electricity and reduce our dependence on non-renewable or polluting energy sources.  For the extended community, it demonstrates that solar power generation is feasible in Oregon and provides a clean source of energy.  

Q: How will the learning wall be used?

A: The learning wall puts it all together on a child-scale.   It contains electronic displays that provide real time and historical data about the generation level.   The data is available to computers in classrooms for use in math and science projects.

Q: What are the primary benefits of Solar Energy?

A: There are many benefits, including:

bulletIt is a renewable and dependable source of free energy
bulletIt does not cause any environmental pollution
bulletThe generation can be co-located with consumption
bulletThe equipment is simple to maintain and has a long life

Q: How much electricity do the panels generate and how does this compare to the school’s daily/annual electricity consumption?

A: The demonstration configuration is rated for peak generating capacity of 6KW or 6000 Watts, which is equivalent to powering 100 light bulbs of 60W each.  (Technically, the system is rated for 6,012W.)  The actual generation at any given time depends on the brightness of sunlight and position of the sun in the sky.  The generation is also proportional to the number of hours of daylight which changes from summer to winter.  The University of Oregon Solar Monitor Lab estimates that over a typical year, the panels will generate a total of 6914 KWH (one KWH is equal to one KW of power maintained for one Hour).  This is expected to replace 10-15% of the school’s annual electricity consumption.

Q: Are there enough sunny days in Portland, Oregon?  How does the annual generation compare with say Phoenix, Arizona?

A: While Portland has many cloudy days, the annual solar generation potential is only 25% less than Phoenix.   This is because the panels can generate electricity with diffused sunlight and actually become less efficient at higher temperatures.

Send mail to carol@msb.org with questions or comments about this web site.
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Last modified: 05/20/05