Red Wing Community Solar Garden Community solar gardens
Red Wing Public School District in Minnesota powers more than 100% of its energy needs for its six schools using solar energy generated by a community solar garden installed on district-owned land. Over the next 25 years, the school district is projected to save about $6 million in energy costs and earn $1 million in lease revenue. The solar installation also offers local residents access to clean electricity at a lower price than the public utility. The solar installer IPS Solar provided STEM lessons and teacher trainings to help integrate the technology into the classroom. Other school districts throughout the Midwest are also saving money by using community solar gardens to power more than 100% of their energy needs from solar energy.
• There are financing options available to schools, such as power purchase agreements, that enable schools to invest in clean energy improvements without any upfront or ongoing maintenance costs.
Flipping the switch With costs declining and benefits to schools and the commu- nity on the rise, there has never been a better time for schools to make the switch to clean energy. Over the past three years, the solar capacity at U.S. K–12 schools has shot up by 86%.6 There are about 5,500 schools in the U.S. that are now pow- ered by the sun. Despite this tremendous growth, this rep- resents less than 5% of the nation’s schools. Many schools and districts are not aware of the opportu-
nities to switch to clean energy sources, or there has not been enough community support to propel them to act. Teachers and other school leaders can be catalysts for positive change, with several potential roles in their schools: • Leading students — Teachers can lead students and play a pivotal role in helping to spark a transition to cleaner energy. Teachers can educate, inspire, and mobilize their students toward helping their schools make the switch. Engaging students in a clean energy campaign creates authentic, community-based learning opportunities and develops students’ leadership skills.
• Influencing — Teachers can also inform and influence their peers, school administrators, and district-level deci-
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sion makers about the benefits of clean energy and adopt- ing energy conserving behaviours within schools.
• Educating — Once schools flip the switch to clean energy, then teachers can provide hands-on learning opportunities for students. Many groups in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and beyond provide lesson plans and resources to educate teachers and students about energy.
Inspiring students to lead Teachers are in an ideal position to inspire students to be advocates for clean energy — environmental science classes and clubs are great places to start. You can work with these students to assess their school or district’s current energy usage and identify opportunities to reduce energy consump- tion, increase efficiency, and transition to cleaner energy sources. Once the students have established a solid under- standing of their school’s energy landscape and the potential for re-powering the school, you can help them to identify a goal and guide them to build a team of community supporters to help support your students’ vision for change. The process of transitioning to clean energy can teach
students valuable life lessons beyond the classroom — it exposes them to technologies of the future, helps them to amplify their voice to have an impact, and engages them as active citizens in their communities. There are many levels of involvement for students to help set and achieve clean energy goals for their schools:
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Photo credit: IPS Solar
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