The Loma Prietan
April 2003
Saratoga Science School Goes Solar
by Barry Cinnamon
Walden West Center, an outdoor science school which is owned and operated by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, installed a 1.4 kilowatt solar electric system atop their main building in March 2003. This rooftop system will provide Walden West over 2,000 kilowatt hours of clean electricity per year, and be used to educate 5,000 to 7,000 children each year about the production and benefits of solar electricity. By installing this system, Walden West will eliminate the release of 60 tons of CO2 over the 30-plus-year life of the equipment and save $600 per year on their PG&E bill.
The installation was accomplished through a collaborative effort among Walden West Center, Solar Energy International, and Akeena Solar. Colorado-based Solar Energy International (SEI) is one of the nation's foremost educators for Renewable Energy Installers and Green Builders. The installation at Walden West was the culmination of their March 3-8 "Women Only" Solar Design and Installation course. Three years ago SEI began to offer courses for women only to support and encourage more women to enter this traditionally male-dominated field. The SEI women students provided volunteer labor for the Walden West installation.
Walden West Center provides residential outdoor science programs with a strong environmental emphasis for 5th and 6th grade students throughout the school year. During the summer months the Center runs a for-profit day camp to subsidize the cost of its science school programs.
The addition of a solar electric system at Walden West will greatly enhance the solar energy education activities at the school. The system was installed in a central location on the campus so that students can view the photovoltaic panels and see the electric meter running backwards when the sun is shining. Hands-on lessons together with a life-size working system provide an ideal combination to teach about the reality of solar energy.
"Putting solar electricity on one of our buildings is the perfect complement to our environmentally-focused outdoor education programs," said Richard Reid, Walden West's Supervisor of Business Operations.
Walden West received a grant to install a solar electric system but it was not enough to cover the full cost of installation. Tor Allen, Director of Solar Schoolhouse, a program of the Rahus Institute, brought this situation to the attention of Akeena Solar who offered to donate the remaining funds and coordinate the installation with the SEI students.
For more information on Akeena Solar or solar electric installations, contact Barry Cinnamon at bcinnamon@akeena.net or 408/395-7774.
For more information on Solar Energy International's classes for energy installers and green builders, contact Carol Weiss at solarenergy.org.