PSE Offers Renewable Energy Grants to Local Schools
07 Janvier 2009 - 5:00PM
Business Wire
Puget Sound Energy�s work in bringing renewable energy
demonstration systems to Washington schools will take another step
forward in 2009 with the utility today issuing a request for
proposals for up to five schools to each receive a 1.1 kilowatt
solar array or small wind turbine this year. PSE�s renewable energy
program for schools, which has already funded 12 educational solar
power projects in the Puget Sound region in the last five years,
will help students learn more about renewable energy technologies
and smart energy choices. The 2009 RFP will also include small wind
turbines, expanding the range of options available to local
educators, students, families and communities in PSE�s 11-county
electric and natural gas service area of Western Washington. �Our
environment and our economy both demand new ways of thinking about
how to produce energy cleanly and to use it efficiently,� said Cal
Shirley, vice president of Energy Efficiency Services for PSE.
�Bringing renewable energy and energy efficiency lessons to the
classroom has proven to be an outstanding way to help students
learn how energy is produced, and how vital it is to use energy
wisely.� Successful applicants in the RFP process will receive
grants of as much as $25,000 to fund renewable energy education
through a demonstration project at their school. The grant will
cover the cost of a photovoltaic or small wind turbine plus
classroom monitoring software that allows students to track how
much energy their system is producing as the weather changes and
calculate how that energy could be used. In addition, the grant
supports educational materials, including activity guides,
renewable energy science kits and teacher training. �When students
are producing their own energy, they become much more focused on
using that energy efficiently,� said Shirley. �It�s a real world
lesson that enables the kids see how their actions and choices will
affect the environment, and how they can be a positive force for
change in the future.� At 1.1 kWs, the solar array will generate
enough power, on average, to operate 10 notebook computers for
1,000 hours. In addition to the rooftop-mounted solar panels or
wind turbines, the PSE grant supports the purchase of an inverter
to connect renewable energy generators to the school�s electrical
system, monitoring software, and teaching training and lesson plans
developed by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation as part of its
Solar 4R Schools program. �We�re pleased to join PSE in expanding
our offerings to include wind,� said Bryce Smith, director of the
Project Management Group for BEF. �Working together we have been
able to reach almost 6,000 students and families in communities
throughout the Puget Sound area, encouraging meaningful
understanding of renewable energy today that will lead to even
greater knowledge and adoption of this powerful technology in the
future.� School districts qualifying for the RFP will submit plans
detailing their educational goals and objectives for a solar or
wind project, how it will bring renewable energy technologies to
new areas of the Puget Sound region and what steps will be taken to
increase community awareness of the potential for using renewable
energy technologies. All proposals must be received by PSE on or
before 5 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2009, and all solar or wind systems must
be installed during the 2009 school year. PSE has been teaching
students about solar and wind energy as part of its Powerful
Choices for the Environment, a program for middle school students,
which just celebrated its 15-year anniversary. Earlier this year,
the utility also opened a Renewable Energy Center at its Wild Horse
Wind and Solar Facility near Ellensburg, which welcomed 17,000
visitors, many of them students, in 2008. In 2008, five Puget
Sound-area schools received almost $100,000 in grants for the
installation of solar systems: � Thomas Jefferson High School,
Federal Way School District � Marshall Middle School, Olympia �
Interlake High School, Bellevue � South Whidbey High School,
Whidbey Island � Sakai Intermediate School, Bainbridge Island Since
2004, PSE (working through the BEF) has funded the installation of
systems at Redmond High School, Port Townsend High School, the
Bellingham Environmental Learning Center, the Puget Sound
Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee�s Training
Center in Renton, the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Western Washington
University in Bellingham, and the Institute for Environmental
Research and Education on Vashon Island. About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state�s oldest and largest energy utility, with a
6,000-square-mile service area stretching across 11 counties, Puget
Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and
nearly 750,000 natural gas customers. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget
Energy (NYSE:PSD), meets the energy needs of its growing customer
base primarily in Western Washington through incremental,
cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable
energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery
infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great
customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable,
reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more
information, visit www.PSE.com. About the Bonneville Environmental
Foundation Founded in 1998 and based in Portland, Ore., Bonneville
Environmental Foundation (BEF) is an entrepreneurial non-profit
that engages market forces and ingenuity to help people address our
most pressing energy and water issues. Through sales of carbon
offsets, BEF supports renewable energy development and education
and long-term watershed restoration. Learn more at b-e-f.org.
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