picture by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World
Students at Prairie Park Elementary take pleasure in a ribbon-cutting for his or her photo voltaic vitality venture Friday, May 17, 2024, on the faculty, 2711 Kensington Road.
The finish of the college 12 months marked a proud begin Friday for the renewable vitality Lawrence faculty district.
Students at Prairie Park Elementary erupted in applause — and college pleasure — as their fellow college students lower the ribbon on the district’s first-ever photo voltaic venture.
picture by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World
Prairie Park Elementary college students lower the ribbon for his or her photo voltaic vitality venture Friday, May 17, 2024, on the faculty, 2711 Kensington Road.
Their principal, Jason Townsend, in an meeting outdoors the college famous that Friday’s harsh daylight – the scholars, with a sheen of sweat, recent from subject day workouts – a correct inauguration for the venture.
Larry Englebrick, the college district’s chief working officer, informed college students it was a special occasion as a result of it was the end result of an concept that had been within the works for a very long time.
“Your faculty is the primary faculty we’ve got put in solar energy, and it’s working now,” he mentioned to loud cheers.
The faculty at 2711 Kensington Road, with its massive south-facing metallic roofs, was chosen by the district’s Futures Planning Committee final 12 months to be the location of a $240,000 pilot venture with Cromwell Environmental, which put in on the system. The roof, which has a 50-year life expectancy, now has 250 photo voltaic panels.
picture by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World
Amanda Stamm of Cromwell Energy addresses the Prairie Park Elementary meeting as the college cuts the ribbon on its photo voltaic venture Friday, May 17, 2024.
Amanda Stamm, the vice chairman of vitality operations for Cromwell, informed the scholars that the panels will run their lights and computer systems and, maybe most significantly given Friday’s warmth, their followers.
He mentioned the photo voltaic panels can meet 22% of the college’s electrical energy wants and forestall greater than 250 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted. He likened it to planting about 1,500 timber.
In addition to being climate-friendly, the photo voltaic panels may even serve academic functions, the district mentioned, as college students will study concerning the photovoltaic impact, or the method of changing daylight. to electrical energy.
School board member Shannon Kimball informed the scholars that she expects the photo voltaic venture to occur at different colleges as effectively.
“I’m very completely happy that every one of you can be the primary of those initiatives,” he mentioned. “We’ll see the way it goes after which there’s an opportunity we are able to do it in additional buildings…
picture by: Courtesy of Cromwell Solar
Prairie Park Elementary seen from above with its array of photo voltaic panels.
picture by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World
Prairie Park Elementary college students expressed their pleasure at a ribbon-cutting for his or her photo voltaic vitality venture Friday, May 17, 2024, on the faculty, 2711 Kensington Road.
