Orcas Island Community Solar

The San Juan Islands Conservation District is partnered with Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to install solar electric systems at the public schools on Lopez, Orcas, San Juan, and Shaw Islands in 2015. This exciting community solar project will deliver renewable energy to our public schools, reducing their electricity bills, and provide renewable energy education for our students. Participants receive a payback through production incentives. Orcas Island High School is generating renewable solar energy through the community solar photovoltaic (PV) system, and leveraging the system's performance data as an interactive, real-world educational tool to bring energy topics to life in their classrooms. 

Educators at the school also received a customized renewable energy teacher training from Solar 4R Schools as well as hands-on science kit materials to augment the school's existing curricula, and complete access to the resources available on the Solar4RSchools.org website. To optimize integration of the renewable energy science and technology content, every aspect of the teacher support provided by Solar 4R Schools was customized to the unique focus of the school community, including topics covered in the teacher training as well as our recommendations for activities and science kit materials.