California Schools Install solar panel , Teach Students Benefits

Homeowners, businesses and schools are taking advantage of the sunny skies in California and choosing to install  solar panel  energy systems. Photovoltaic systems, both large and small, can significantly help to reduce electricity bills. However, some schools in California and elsewhere across the nation are also using PV panels to teach students about alternative energy sources.

According to the  solar panel  Energy Industries Association, California has an ideal  solar panel  market - the state has a plethora of sunny days and a number of supportive  solar panel  policies and incentives that make installing PV panels cost-effective. As of early 2012,grid tie inverter the state had 2,025 megawatts of installed  solar panel  energy - more than the next six states combined.

East LA College Expects Electricity Bill Reduction from  solar panel ystem

Occidental College in Los Angeles is in the midst of installing a 1-megawatt  solar panel  array, which school officials expect to be completed and plugged into the grid tie inverter  by April 20, The EastSider LA reported. Once completed, the array will be the largest ground-mounted  solar panel  array in the city and one of the biggest arrays at any small college campus in the United States.

The project will include nearly 5,000  solar panel s, the article stated. One-third of the panels will be installed on the roof of a campus parking lot, and the remaining panels will be installed on a southwest-facing hillside on the college grounds.

The system is expected to provide 11 percent of the college's annual electricity needs and cut the school's electric bill by more than $200,000 a year, the EastSider reported.

The college also plans to use the panels for educational purposes. The school has installed new electrical metering devices in campus classrooms so students can begin to track how much energy the college is using. School officials hope these devices will not only help students better understand  solar panel  power inverter  generation, but also encourage them to conserve energy.

“We can begin to track and accumulate data on where our energy is going,” James Tranquada, communications director for Occidental College, told the news source. “This way we can establish a baseline and encourage reduction as seems fit.”

The college's website states local high school students and community members can also benefit from the educational programs that will be offered about the  solar panel  PV system. Faculty at the college have identified dozens of courses that could incorporate the  solar panel  array into their syllabi.

The system is also in line with the city of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power inverter 's goal to add 130 MW of customer-owned  solar panel  power inverter  to the city's electricity grid tie inverter  by 2020, the article stated. The water and power inverter  department helped fund the  solar panel  project at Occidental, providing a $3.4 million rebate.

California High School Students Teach Others About Benefits of  solar panel

A group of seniors from Ceres High School in Central Joaquin Valley recently participated in a  solar panel  education program in which they learned how to install  solar panel s and were taught about the energy savings the technology can bring to homeowners. Ten students helped install  solar panel s on the homes of low-income families, the Merced Sun Star reported. The panels are expected to save the homeowners 80 to 85 percent on their electricity bill.

One of the families needs to use medical devices for health issues and requires more energy than the typical household, the article stated. However, the solar panel will help deliver that excess energy while helping them save money.