The regional energy corporation partnered with a local environmental foundation to create Idaho Power’s Solar 4R Schools, to help schools reduce energy bills and teach students to be green. They are starting by installing solar panels at K-12 schools in Power’s service area. What’s great about this is not only the fact that they can reduce costs and save the environment, but also with each installation there is a system in place to monitor the data from these dashboards and a curriculum package created to teach students to be ecological and renewable. Energy.
Schools apply to the program indicating their interest in renewable energy and how they plan to use data from solar panels to educate children about the environment and being green.
By installing solar panels, electricity costs could be cut in half, which would greatly benefit the school. By saving them money, they can focus more on the children. These solar panels, if they hadn’t gotten them for free because of the program, could cost upwards of $1.5 million to install. The initial expense is expensive and will take time to recover, but in the long run, they will save money and protect the environment.
Doesn’t it seem rational that all new schools from now on be built with solar panels? The cost would be more but it is worth it. If we taxpayers have to pay a little more to help save our environment for our children and our children’s children, it’s worth it.
The renewable energy curriculum also helps children gain a new respect for the environment and gives them something to feel good about. Being educated by the solar panel curriculum, they may have a need to recycle and use water filters, reusable shopping bags, etc. All of this could help our earth a lot by starting to decrease waste and the costs associated with it. By teaching kids early and instilling in their brains that recycling and going green is the way to be, they will grow up not thinking twice about going green, they already are.
Solar 4R Schools is now reaching out to more than Idaho. They are also contacting California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Maryland, Vermont and Maine so that schools in these states can write to the foundation. and request free installation of solar panels.