Solar Panels Installed to Charge Student Cell Phones -- Spaces4Learning

Solar Panels Installed to Charge Student Cell Phones

By Yvonne Marquez
10/25/19

Over the summer, Olathe West High School added solar panels over two picnic tables where students can charge their phones and laptops.

The solar arrays were installed by MC Power in front of the Kansas school. Each table has eight USB chargers powered by a large solar panel.

“The kids think it’s pretty cool to charge their devices with the sun,” Cody Janousek, Green Tech Academy facilitator, said to a local newspaper. “There are no wires coming out of the school to the charging stations, so it’s a bit of scientific magic to make it happen. Our phones don’t really use all that much energy, so I emphasize how cool it is to have the phones powered directly by the sun.”

The high school is one of the most sustainable high school buildings in the nation, according to their website. It’s already outfitted with enough solar panels to make their footprint net-zero in energy consumption, Janousek said.

The solar panels are outside of the Green Tech Academy, one of the 15 different 21st Century Academies available at Olathe Public Schools. The Green Tech program is hosted at the high school and teaches students about renewable energy and sustainability.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

E-Mail this page

Printable Format

Featured

How Design Shapes Learning and Success

Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.
Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.
Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.
T&T Construction Management Group Completes Pasco High School Expansion

Pasco High School in Dade City, Fla., recently announced that it has completed an expansion project in partnership with T&T Construction Management Group, Inc., Harvard Jolly Architecture, and Williams Company.