Denver, Colo. (July 7, 2006) – The American Solar Energy Society unveiled its latest Legacy School project this morning at the Del Pueblo elementary school in Denver, Colorado. The solar project is the newest addition to the ASES Legacy Adopt-A-School program, which supports a solar installation in cities where ASES holds its annual solar conference.
"The Legacy School program is a shared effort of organizations and individuals wishing to leave behind a seed of energy education that grows into the next generation of well-informed energy consumers," said Brad Collins, Executive Director of the American Solar Energy Society.
The collaborative effort to install the solar power system included major funding from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), a non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting renewable energy development and restoring damaged watersheds. BEF funds its mission primarily through the sale of renewable energy credits, which it calls Green Tags, to corporate, institutional, and residential customers across the United States. The foundation reinvests a portion of the net revenues from Green Tag sales in small-scale solar and wind power projects, and manages the siting and installation of these projects on behalf of its funding partners.
"We are thrilled to partner with ASES and the other dedicated organizations supporting the Legacy School program," said Rob Harmon, Vice President of Renewable Energy Programs at Bonneville Environmental Foundation. "We celebrate Denver’s Del Pueblo School and community for their part in advancing renewable energy education in our schools and homes."
Many other partners played a pivotal role in the development of the Del Pueblo solar installation, including: Namaste Solar Electric, Inc., a Boulder-based, employee-owned solar electric company that contributed its labor to install the Del Pueblo project; Solar Energy International (SEI), a non-profit organization that provides valuable training and workshops to empower others to use renewable energy technologies; the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR™ program.
ASES established the Legacy Adopt-A-School program in 2001 to support solar education, solar career development, and energy leadership in ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged communities in the cities where ASES holds its annual solar energy conference. Del Pueblo elementary is the sixth ASES Legacy School recipient following Washington, DC; Reno, Nevada; Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Orlando, Florida.
The 1.1-kilowatt (kW) solar power system provides a teaching, research, and hands-on demonstration opportunity for a generation of students. The system is supplemented by a web-based monitoring system that provides real-time access to information regarding the system’s performance from any internet-enabled computer, at any time.
About the American Solar Energy Society
The American Solar Energy Society is the nations’ oldest and largest membership society dedicated to advancing the US toward a sustainable energy economy. ASES publishes SOLAR TODAY magazine, organizes the annual National Solar Tour, sponsors the National Solar Energy Conference and advocates for government policy initiatives to promote the research and deployment of renewable energy. ASES has regional and state chapters throughout the country. More information is available at www.ases.org.
About the Bonneville Environmental Foundation
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to restore watershed ecosystems and further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. More information is available on the web at
www.b-e-f.org or www.greentagsusa.org.
