Lane Middle School
Photo Gallery
- none -
Video Gallery
Thanks to the generous support of Gerding Edlen Sustainable Solutions, Portland General Electric, and the Energy Trust of Oregon, Lane Middle School in Portland, Oregon became the host for a 70-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) system installation in July 2009. Under the arrangement, the school will generate renewable energy that will be sold to others. In addition to building a dedicated community of renewable energy educators, the Renewable Classroom PLUS project from Solar 4R Schools has transformed the photovoltaic (PV) system into an interactive classroom tool.
Educators within the school received a customized renewable energy teacher training, hands-on science kit materials to augment the school's existing curricula, and complete access to the resources available on the Solar4RSchools.org website. At the time of the project, a touchscreen kiosk within the facility allowed school visitors, parents, students and teachers to interact with the system's live performance data while learning about the science and benefits of renewable energy.
As part of Portland Public Schools' continuing effort to improve the learning environment for their students, the District installed new roofs and seismically upgraded nine schools during the summer of 2009. Notable in this project was the use of thin-film silicon solar cells on the roofs. It is the District's hope that this project will inspire students to pursue careers and make decisions that make the world a better place.