Solar Panels Installed on Garthwaite Center for Science and Art
In an important step towards boosting the school's sustainability efforts and educational opportunities for students, solar panels are currently being installed on the roof of the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art.
In an important step towards boosting the school's sustainability efforts and educational opportunities for students, solar panels are currently being installed on the roof of the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art.
The 300 Sharp polycrystalline photovoltaic modules, which will be installed by IRC Roof Systems over the next 10 to 12 days, will produce at least 50 percent of the Garthwaite’s annual electrical demand, which will help the school minimize its carbon footprint and save on annual energy costs. In addition, students and faculty will be able to monitor performance through real-time, web-based monitoring.
“It will be a great addition to our work on sustainability as we try to minimize our carbon footprint,” said Marilyn DelDonno, science teacher and chair of the sustainability committee.
The data gathered from the solar panels will provide opportunities for students to study how solar panels work and how seasonal and weather variations affect their performance. Students will also have the ability to create additional projects on sustainability that can be integrated into our science curriculum.
“It will give students the opportunity to see the seasonal and weather variations of solar panel performance which is an important complement to our theoretical study of how they work. The panels will also provide important baseline data as we consider solar panels for other buildings and future projects on campus. I look forward to the possibility of this being a capstone project for students as well.”
Early last fall, Marilyn introduced CSW to IRC Roof Systems from Lewiston, Maine. IRC has deep connections to CSW. The school's account representative, Kurt Penney, is the husband of Andréa C. deAlmeida ’78, whose father, Walter deAlmeida was a Spanish teacher and dorm parent in the late 1970's at CSW. Marilyn, Gin Stanley, director of facilities, and Rob Laverdure, director of finance and operations, secured an agreement with the company. The project moves forward at no cost to CSW.
To follow along as IRC installs the panels, please visit the Photo Gallery in the 'Inside Scoop' section of our website!
The 300 Sharp polycrystalline photovoltaic modules, which will be installed by IRC Roof Systems over the next 10 to 12 days, will produce at least 50 percent of the Garthwaite’s annual electrical demand, which will help the school minimize its carbon footprint and save on annual energy costs. In addition, students and faculty will be able to monitor performance through real-time, web-based monitoring.
“It will be a great addition to our work on sustainability as we try to minimize our carbon footprint,” said Marilyn DelDonno, science teacher and chair of the sustainability committee.
The data gathered from the solar panels will provide opportunities for students to study how solar panels work and how seasonal and weather variations affect their performance. Students will also have the ability to create additional projects on sustainability that can be integrated into our science curriculum.
“It will give students the opportunity to see the seasonal and weather variations of solar panel performance which is an important complement to our theoretical study of how they work. The panels will also provide important baseline data as we consider solar panels for other buildings and future projects on campus. I look forward to the possibility of this being a capstone project for students as well.”
Early last fall, Marilyn introduced CSW to IRC Roof Systems from Lewiston, Maine. IRC has deep connections to CSW. The school's account representative, Kurt Penney, is the husband of Andréa C. deAlmeida ’78, whose father, Walter deAlmeida was a Spanish teacher and dorm parent in the late 1970's at CSW. Marilyn, Gin Stanley, director of facilities, and Rob Laverdure, director of finance and operations, secured an agreement with the company. The project moves forward at no cost to CSW.
To follow along as IRC installs the panels, please visit the Photo Gallery in the 'Inside Scoop' section of our website!
More News from CSW
List of 5 news stories.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.