Electronic students at the Porter County Career and Technical Center are nearly finished with their solar farm project. Under the direction of Dave Kenning, Electronics Teacher at the PCCTC, the students installed the solar array on the rooftop of the Career Center.
NIPSCO made energy credits available for people. This means that they could buy equipment that generated energy to sell back energy to NIPSCO power grid. Selling the energy that the solar panels generate back to NIPSCO creates an added funding source for the school.
And with permit processes and application process and other planning, the project has been in the works for about a year.
“I was very excited about this,” Kenning said.“This allows my students to use knowledge and skills that they learned in the classroom and apply them to real life issues. Finding a way to generate renewable energy affects the entire county. And it’s interesting to me as I’ve been a teacher in class for lot of years try to find new and fresh ideas for my students.”
When completed, the solar array will be comprised of 32 photovoltaic panels which will generate nearly 7KwH of electricity. Students will monitor the solar panel’s performance as part of their school work.
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on January 16, 2013 at 2pm on the rooftop of the PCCTC. Come to show support for the students hard work as this bright idea becomes a reality.
To find out more about the Porter County Career and Technical Center, click here!