Why do schools need a solar-electric array to teach about renewable energy?
It is certainly possible to teach students about renewable energy from a textbook alone, but direct, demonstration-based learning including interaction with a photovoltaic system is more powerful and effective for students and the surrounding community. Implementing these projects at schools educates teachers, facility personnel, school administrators and other community members, such as inspectors and permitting agencies, about what it takes to install a utility-interactive renewable energy system. This kind of learning only comes with the experience of installing an actual system. In the classroom, the Solar 4R Schools program is committed to hands-on learning, with age-appropriate activity guides and science kits that include such interactive projects as solar car racing, solar cooking and making sun-paper art. The core of the program, however, is focused on allowing students to see and touch the technology and monitor its function. Students are able to download live data from their
