Zenger Farm

Through Portland General Electric’s Renewable Development Fund, Zenger Farm added solar energy education to its suite of hands-on environmental education programs in 2017. Over the course of one day, 8 volunteer and staff educators came together to increase their understanding of and comfort teaching about solar electricity and circuits and started the process of integrating solar heating and solar electric concepts into existing programs around plants, the sun, and seasons. Zenger Farm’s 7.6 kW photovoltaic (PV) system was originally installed in summer of 2017. A collaboration between Solar4RSchools, Zenger Farms, and the PGE Renewable Development Fund, this 7.6-kilowatt PV installation demonstrates the practicality of photovoltaics while providing additional learning opportunities for visitors of Zenger Farms. In addition to building a dedicated community of renewable energy educators, Solar 4R Schools has transformed the school's existing PV system into a hands-on classroom tool. Energy monitoring at the school allows students and educators to chart, graph and analyze the system's performance data for educational purposes. Educators received a customized renewable energy teacher training, hands-on science kit materials to augment Zenger Farm’s existing curricula, and complete access to the the online educator library.