Sixteen solar panels costing approximately $25,000 were installed to the rooftop of McNair secondary to offset energy costs and provide a learning tool unique to Richmond schools.
McNair was one of 11 schools in the province to receive a $20,000 grant from SolarBC for this project, and is the only school in Richmond to use a photovoltaic.
"Teachers are excited to start using the photovoltaic in their teaching," said vice principal Gordon Fitt. "We have teachers in science, physics, in addition to other disciplines, all asking to use it as a practical teaching tool."
Of the array of 16 solar panels, three different types of solar panels were installed in order to maximize learning potential for students.
"The students will be able to compare the power output of three different solar panel technologies from three different manufacturers," said Tracy Blagdon, manager of energy and sustainability at the Richmond school district. "The energy outputs of the solar panels are monitored in real time and can be viewed online by students."
McNair's photovoltaic system converts solar energy (sunlight) into a DC voltage. Individual inverters at each solar panel takes the DC voltage and converts it to an AC voltage, which is then fed back into the schools electrical grid to help offset the power drawn from BC Hydro. The photovoltaic system is expected to save roughly 3700Kwh each year.
