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Wood River High School was one of five Idaho schools awarded a Solar 4 R Schools installation in spring of 2007. The school’s inclusion in the program was due in part to its commitment to teaching students the value of energy efficiency and innovative design. The1.1-kilowatt solar electric system educates Wood River students and their community about the functions and benefits of solar power at no cost to the school.
Wood River’s solar electric system is positioned for maximum sun exposure on the southern roofline of the school’s Community Campus Building. Although energy generated by the system offsets a portion of the school’s electricity bills, its primary focus is education. Teachers at Wood River use the installation and data as a tool to help students apply their learning to real life.
The Solar 4 R Schools program is a particularly beneficial to students of Wood River’s Architectural and Mechanical Design Academy, a two-year program that prepares students for careers in the design field. Students can view data over time to assess the availability of the sun in the Valley and then determine its capacity to power the buildings they design.
Idaho Power provided funding for the system through their Green Power program. This voluntary program supporting clean, renewable energy is increasingly popular in the Wood River Valley, where more of the utility’s customers are signed up for Green Power than anywhere else in the state.
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