Indiana High School Installs Solar Farm

Shakamak High School in Jasonville, Ind., recently installed a solar farm that is projected to save the school more than $1 million across the next 12 years, according to local news. The farm was connected to the nearby Duke Energy power grid on Saturday, April 9. Local news also reports that the school, located in Greene County, is the first in the area to explore energy savings through a solar farm project.

Metropolitan School District of Shakamak Superintendent Jeff Gambill said he looks forward to seeing the saved funds diverted into education. “We’re a smaller corporation, so $75,000 a year for a larger corporation may not seem like much, but for us, it means a lot,” he said. “We’re real excited about it, but there’s more benefits to it besides just the savings in our operations fund.”

WTHI reports that the energy savings could go toward supporting new school curricula and potential student career opportunities. For the installation itself, the district partnered with energy service provider Veregy, who provided lessons to students about the logistics and importance of solar power.

“Green energy is going to be a growing field going forward, and I think it provides an opportunity for our students to learn about that and learn about careers in solar energy,” Gambill said.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.