The Energy Conservation and Management Division of New Mexico's Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department held solar demonstration programs to dedicate two new solar systems at schools in Albuquerque and Santa Fe on May 10th.
The dedications were made at Hoover Middle School in Albuquerque and Gonzales elementary school in Santa Fe, the two latest additions to the state's ‘Schools with Sol’ program. Funding for this program is made up of appropriations from the New Mexico State Legislature, U.S. Department of Energy funding, school district in-kind contributions and utility company funding. Funds are used for design, purchase, installation and maintenance of solar systems.
Under the Schools with Sol program, solar energy systems have been installed at ten sites in New Mexico schools each year since 2004. The systems produce electricity and hot water for school facilities. They also create opportunities for renewable energy education in New Mexico's schools, provide residential-scale demonstrations in the schools' local communities, and displace conventional electricity, natural gas, and propane consumption in school facilities.
As part of the Schools with Sol educational component, teachers will provide students with current, accurate and useful information on renewable energy, including solar technologies. Students will learn about PV and other types of solar systems, learn the basic concepts of how they operate and see real-time energy production through performance monitoring.