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RHHS teachers attend Green Power EMC lab
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Two Richmond Hill High School teachers recently attend a Green Power EMC SunPower for Schools Learning Lab. Their attendance was sponsored by Coastal Electric Cooperative.

Earlier this year, the electric cooperative installed a photovoltaic system at Richmond Hill High School.

The 1,000 watt system is wired to provide online data about the energy it is producing. The training session was a follow-up to give teachers training to use it.

The teachers, Sarah Lemmons and Joseph Traywick, were two of 34 attendees at the training session hosted by GreenPower EMC in November at Jefferson County High School in Louisville. At the training session, Lemmons and Traywick and educators from around the state invested their time to learn about renewable energy, solar power, the parts of their photovoltaic system and how the online data can be used in the classroom. The data is available on the Internet and can be shared with other schools. Visit www.CoastalElectric.coop and click on the SunPower for Schools icon.

Sun Power for Schools was introduced in 2005 to educate students on the benefits of solar energy as part of a larger effort of Green Power EMC, the state’s first renewable energy program, and a joint effort by 37 of the state’s electric cooperatives to generate and sell green energy from renewable resources. To date, Green Power EMC and local electric cooperatives have installed solar panels at 14 middle or high schools around the state, and two more units are scheduled to be installed.

Richmond Hill High School was selected by Coastal Electric to be Coastal Electric’s designated Sun Power for Schools partner. Sun Power for Schools is a true partnership. Coastal Electric Cooperative and Green Power EMC have paid for all of the costs associated with this project and Richmond Hill High School teachers are investing the time to learn and share their knowledge with students.

A grant from Green Power EMC funded the SunPower for Schools program. The grant is result of contributions from cooperative members who sign up for green power and pay an additional charge of $4.50 each month for each 150 kilowatt-hour block of green energy that they sponsor. A portion of that charge supports a research and development fund to bring to market additional renewable resources including wind, solar power and low-impact hydroelectric generation.

Members interested in supporting green power should contact Coastal Electric Cooperative at 884-3311 or visit www.CoastalElectric.coop for more information.

- From Coastal Electric Cooperative press release

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