Cedar Wood Elementary School

Cedar Wood Elementary is located in southern Mill Creek, Washington in an area of commercial and residential development. As a Renewable School, Cedar Wood Elementary School is building a dedicated community of renewable energy educators, generating clean energy through their awarded 2-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) system, and leveraging the system's performance data as an educational tool to bring energy topics to life in their classrooms.

The on-site PV system provided by Solar 4R Schools™ is a great complement to the Everett Public School District's science curriculum. Installed onto the south-facing roof covering the outdoor basketball courts, the PV system is highly visible and will allow for easy expansion of the system in the future due to roof rafter accessibility. Energy monitoring services provided by Solar 4R Schools™ has connected the live performance data from their PV system to the Energy Exploration Center at Solar4RSchools.org. Students and educators nationwide can now chart, graph and analyze the system's performance data for educational purposes.

In 2009, educators at Cedar Wood 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. A Solar 4R Schools™ touchscreen kiosk located within the building allows school visitors, parents, teachers and students to interact with live system performance data and key facts about how solar energy works.

The school collaborated with Snohomish County PUD to host "The Power of Solar," a semi-annual community demonstration presentation. The school was also retrofitted with an upgraded Energy Management System, was awarded a Washington Sustainable School Grant and was also named Outstanding Recycler of the Year.