Quegiebo
April 28th, 2007, 12:45 AM
It's a start. :)
Solar Power Electrifies Campus
By KATHY STEELE The Tampa Tribune
Published: Apr 26, 2007
TAMPA - Solar energy is the juice and the power at Middleton High School.
An array of 60 solar panels is converting sunlight into electricity, feeding the lights and computers in five classrooms. It's a hands-on teaching tool for students, and the largest solar power system operating at a Florida public school.
"It's fun and it's rewarding because you get a knowledge you feel you can use in the real world," Middleton senior Taylor Smith said.
In the next weeks, students will learn how sunlight becomes electricity, how much power is produced and how long their computers can operate powered by solar energy.
If a hurricane hits, the central Tampa school - a designated Red Cross shelter - will rely on a backup system of solar-powered batteries.
At a dedication Wednesday, school officials struggled to pronounce the name of this new technology - photovoltaics - but they celebrated the magnet school's venture into the world of renewable energy.
"We've reached the status of the avant garde," Principal Jim Gatlin said.
The school's solar power system "really is the foundation for the kinds of activities that really need to grow … to hook students into the kind of programs we need in the future," Hillsborough County schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said.
It took about three months to install the panels at ground level near the administration office.
Tampa Electric Co. covered the $170,000 cost, which is partially reimbursable with a $50,000 state grant from the Florida Solar Energy Center's SunSmart Schools Program. TECO will maintain the panels, which are secured behind a wrought-iron fence.
Middleton, 4801 N. 22nd St., is among 13 schools, colleges and universities statewide chosen to receive solar panels but the only one to get the largest unit of 10.5 kilowatts. Others got panels delivering 1 or 2 kilowatts.
A kilowatt equals 1,000 watts of power.
The project is the largest approved by SunSmart Schools, which is funded through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection - Florida Energy Office.
Middleton qualified as a shelter and a magnet school for math, science, engineering and technology.
Sunlight striking the silicon-based panels generates energy to charge batteries that can be used during power outages. Once the batteries are charged, excess energy is fed to the five classrooms for daily use. In emergencies, the system can power lights, radios, televisions and oxygen generators for evacuees.
Middleton senior Carlos Zeissig, 17, sees an opportunity to boost his knowledge and his fledging computer business, Primo PC Customs. He said it's important to find ways to link solar options with businesses.
"Time is money for these big corporations," Zeissig said. "Having power constantly is something fundamental for successful businesses. Solar energy is probably one of the biggest methods for accomplishing this."
Also, there is a message to everyone who walks past the solar panels, said Bob Reedy, photovoltaics director with the Florida Solar Energy Center.
"In a subtle way this plants in them, 'Yeah, this is the way it's done,'" he said.
Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 835-2103 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.
http://www.tbo.com/news/scitech/MGBICZIOY0F.html
Solar Power Electrifies Campus
By KATHY STEELE The Tampa Tribune
Published: Apr 26, 2007
TAMPA - Solar energy is the juice and the power at Middleton High School.
An array of 60 solar panels is converting sunlight into electricity, feeding the lights and computers in five classrooms. It's a hands-on teaching tool for students, and the largest solar power system operating at a Florida public school.
"It's fun and it's rewarding because you get a knowledge you feel you can use in the real world," Middleton senior Taylor Smith said.
In the next weeks, students will learn how sunlight becomes electricity, how much power is produced and how long their computers can operate powered by solar energy.
If a hurricane hits, the central Tampa school - a designated Red Cross shelter - will rely on a backup system of solar-powered batteries.
At a dedication Wednesday, school officials struggled to pronounce the name of this new technology - photovoltaics - but they celebrated the magnet school's venture into the world of renewable energy.
"We've reached the status of the avant garde," Principal Jim Gatlin said.
The school's solar power system "really is the foundation for the kinds of activities that really need to grow … to hook students into the kind of programs we need in the future," Hillsborough County schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said.
It took about three months to install the panels at ground level near the administration office.
Tampa Electric Co. covered the $170,000 cost, which is partially reimbursable with a $50,000 state grant from the Florida Solar Energy Center's SunSmart Schools Program. TECO will maintain the panels, which are secured behind a wrought-iron fence.
Middleton, 4801 N. 22nd St., is among 13 schools, colleges and universities statewide chosen to receive solar panels but the only one to get the largest unit of 10.5 kilowatts. Others got panels delivering 1 or 2 kilowatts.
A kilowatt equals 1,000 watts of power.
The project is the largest approved by SunSmart Schools, which is funded through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection - Florida Energy Office.
Middleton qualified as a shelter and a magnet school for math, science, engineering and technology.
Sunlight striking the silicon-based panels generates energy to charge batteries that can be used during power outages. Once the batteries are charged, excess energy is fed to the five classrooms for daily use. In emergencies, the system can power lights, radios, televisions and oxygen generators for evacuees.
Middleton senior Carlos Zeissig, 17, sees an opportunity to boost his knowledge and his fledging computer business, Primo PC Customs. He said it's important to find ways to link solar options with businesses.
"Time is money for these big corporations," Zeissig said. "Having power constantly is something fundamental for successful businesses. Solar energy is probably one of the biggest methods for accomplishing this."
Also, there is a message to everyone who walks past the solar panels, said Bob Reedy, photovoltaics director with the Florida Solar Energy Center.
"In a subtle way this plants in them, 'Yeah, this is the way it's done,'" he said.
Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 835-2103 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.
http://www.tbo.com/news/scitech/MGBICZIOY0F.html