Notre Dame using solar panels for power, education

Officials at Notre Dame Regional High School love sunny days. It means the school can generate a small amount of electricity to help power computers, lights or other electrical devices.

On a metal pole near the observatory behind the Cape Girardeau County Catholic school, an array of six angled solar panels faces south to best catch the sun's rays. The system generates a maximum of one kilowatt hour of electricity. On Wednesday morning, it was producing slightly less than a kilowatt of power. But that was still enough to power four computers or 12 60-watt light bulbs, according to a computer software program that allows school staff to monitor the power generated at any given time.

The goal isn't so much to reduce the school's electric bill, but to educate students and the public about the benefits of solar power, said Brad Wittenborn, advanced physics teacher and assistant principal.

"What we are trying to do is educate our students about taking care of the environment," he said. Ultimately, the United States has to look at alternative sources of energy such as solar power because the Earth has a limited amount of oil, Wittenborn said.

Notre Dame is one of 16 private and public schools in the state involved in the "Missouri Schools Going Solar" energy program. It's the only school in the immediate Southeast Missouri area participating in the project, officials said. The next closest is in Potosi, Mo.

Started by AmerenUE in St. Louis two to three years ago, the program has since expanded statewide. AmerenUE and Kansas City Power & Light help fund the purchase and installation of the equipment. Participating schools also pay a small share of the cost.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources helps coordinate the program.

Larry Archer, a spokesman for the DNR's Energy Center, said his agency wants to see participating schools educate students and area residents about solar power.

"We want them to be kind of community ambassadors for solar power," Archer said.

To that end, Wittenborn said Notre Dame officials welcome the opportunity to show off the equipment to Scout troops and other local groups.

Each of the solar panels is more than 32 inches by 30 inches in size. All six panels are constructed on a single frame, two panels wide and three panels deep, Archer said.

It cost about $15,000 to purchase and install the equipment. Notre Dame paid $2,500 of the cost, Wittenborn said.

The rest comes from the two utility companies through funds set aside in rate cases before the Missouri Public Service Commission, said Archer. "The DNR will join in rate cases and advocate for program that help promote alternative energy or energy conservation issues," Archer said.

The equipment includes computer technology that allows students and anyone with access to the Internet the ability to monitor the electricity generated by solar power at a particular site.

Notre Dame has generated solar-powered electricity since Sept. 6. To date, it's generated more than 244 kilowatt hours of electricity, Wittenborn said.

The panels on the school campus face south to best capture energy from the sunlight, he said. "They are set at an angle to match the tilt of the Earth."

The direct current generated is fed into an electrical panel in the high school's nearby observatory, where the direct current is converted into alternating current to help power the high school, Wittenborn said.

While solar panels are still uncommon in the Midwest, they are increasingly being used to help generate electricity on the East Coast and in Europe, he said.

Archer said the DNR would like to see the solar program expanded to other schools in Missouri, but that depends on funding.

"We would like to see the program continue just because it is such a good teaching tool," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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