Solar Energy

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Students put sustainability lessons to work

During the 2010-2011 academic year, students in the Sustainable Design and Engineering elective were invited to consider the feasibility of RPCS partially converting to solar energy. Working with their teacher Martha Barss, Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator, the students researched and developed a proposal for a solar photovoltaic array. The proposal also included recommendations on how the solar array could be used to educate the students at RPCS and the community at large about the importance of using solar energy to reduce carbon emissions. The class presented their recommendation to the Head of School and members of the Administrative Council and received unanimous approved if the project could secure financing.

Making it happen

The student group believed the lower school roof was a good place for the solar array and their proposal was validated by a Solar Pathfinder analysis. Next, armed with the optimal location and administrative approval, the School worked to secure a grant from the Lockhart Vaughan Foundation to fund the project. Competing against other Baltimore area schools that are members of the Green Schools Alliance, RPCS was selected for the award.

The Lockhart Vaughan Foundation chose RPCS because of the School’s commitment to environmental sustainability. It is estimated the 35.88-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) solar array will generate approximately 1% of the entire School’s electricity in its first year and offset almost 45,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – an amount equal to what 900 mature trees could sequester.

Protecting their future

RPCS's solar energy initiative reinforces the School’s position as a leader in environmental responsibility and in educating for a sustainable world. The School believes the PV installation will provide educational benefits to the entire community since it will model the use of renewable energy as a means of reducing the school’s carbon footprint. A webcam installed on the roof documented the installation process and gave students a firsthand view of energy technology. Integrating the data supplied by the PV system into the curriculum will help students learn about how solar photovoltaic is used to produce electricity and involve them in the study of the benefits of renewable energy and the human and environmental impact of traditional non-renewable energy sources.

During the past decade, Roland Park Country School has continually pursued ways to increase and improve environmental sustainability. The School became a Maryland Green School in 2003 and a member of the Green Schools Alliance in 2008 at the Climate Steward Level. Since then, RPCS has been working to “reduce its carbon footprint over time” and has lowered its total greenhouse gas emissions by 10%.