Solar For Schools Program Takes Solar Science Into Middle School

September 20, 1996

GAINESVILLE—University of Florida energy specialist Roy Johannesen works with a group of dedicated solar scientists, investigating ways to harvest the sun’s energy.

The research team is making great strides. After adopting some passive solar energy techniques, the team has moved on to photovoltaic panels and experimental dessicant air conditioning systems. They meticulously record their data, as do all scientists.

Who knows what they might accomplish by the time they reach ninth grade?

The Florida Energy Extension Service, a part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has teamed up with Ferry Pass Middle School in Pensacola and Gulf Power Corp. to install a state-of-the-art solar energy laboratory in the school.

Running the lab are seventh- and eighth-grade science students who are also part of a novel 4-H club called SolMates. The project, called Solar for Schools, is the first of its kind in the country.

“This is the best scientific instrumentation probably in the country available to middle school students,” said Johannesen, a mechanical engineer and a member of UF’s Energy Extension Service.

“This is a real-world lab with the most advanced technology. The only other place to find something like this is in a university,” Johannesen said. “These are working field systems that do a real thing and positively affect the utility bill.”

Placing this high-tech equipment in the hands of seventh- and eighth-graders was by design, Johannesen said. Middle school is where 4-H has the strongest presence and is a good time to reach students.

“We wanted to expose them to solar energy in their formative years,” Johannesen said. “In eight years these middle school students will be coming out of college and hopefully support solar energy, if not become involved in solar science themselves.”

The project grew out of a UF-sponsored survey two years ago, in which 1,000 people were asked if they would contribute money on their utility bills to support installation of solar technology and other educational resources in public schools.

In the survey, 20 percent said they would give $5 a month to support such a cause. The average contribution turned out to be $21 a year per utility customer — or more than $100 million a year in professed support for solar energy teaching labs, Johannesen said.

With such favorable survey results behind him, Johannesen was able to win a $500,000 grant to start the pilot project at Ferry Pass. A Panhandle school was chosen because Gulf Power Corp., which serves the Panhandle, showed an early commitment to the project. The company has developed a utility bill checkoff mechanism that allows customers to donate to the project.

“The idea is that, while you may not have $2,000 to $3,000 to invest in a solar hot water heater, you can invest a dollar by checking the contribution on your utility bill,” Johannesen said. “The public is concerned about the state of education and America’s ability to compete in a global economy. This is a way to make solar go and boost education.

“For a utility, there’s very little down side. If it succeeds, they get to work with a new technology in a controlled way, and come up to speed in a controlled fashion, all while being a good corporate neighbor,” Johannesen said.

The students formed the SolMates club about year ago and started out learning about passive solar techniques, while the high-tech equipment was installed and while UF faculty developed lessons and materials. First, the students studied the result of painting the science wing white, which showed that light colors reflect rather than absorb heat. They planted trees to provide shade.

They moved up to providing solar lighting for the track and putting together a solar greenhouse with an aquaculture station. Then they added photovoltaic panels to power air conditioning for modular units. The really state-of-the-art part came next, with a solar dessicant air conditioning system designed for the science wing. The unit is experimental and the only one of its kind in the world, Johannesen said.

All the while, the students have tracked their progress in a computer lab with internet capabilities and by videotaping their work. Quite a lot, for eighth-grade science.

Johannesen said people ask him why a project like Solar for Schools has not been tried before. With Ferry Pass providing the model, he says, it will be relatively simple for another utility and another school to pair up on a Solar for Schools project.

“The public can do a lot simply by asking a utility to do it,” Johannesen said. “It’s a good mix of volunteerism and public concerns that neatly bridges political philosophies. And if a few more sign up, what a significant impact…”

Dorothy Lee, an Escambia County extension agent who works with 4-H, said she has seen the value of the program.

“We hope these students will be mentors for other students and other schools in the future, and go to other schools and teach students about solar energy.”

Johannesen said the program should have a ripple effect that will help solar energy advocates.

“Solar energy is important for kids to learn about because it is indeed going to be our future energy supply,” Johannesen said. “Our kids will be our future leaders and movers and shakers so it’s a natural to start now to put these two together.”