Hilary Crowley, DRI GreenPower Coordinator, Hilary Crowley
(702) 862-5409 DRI-Las Vegas Cell: (702) 813-7827
John Doherty, DRI PIO john.doherty@dri.edu Reno (775) 673-7313
Gary Aldax, SPPC PIO: GAldax@sppc.com (775) 834-5508
Bonnie Saviers, WCSD PIO: bsaviers@washoe.k12.nv.us
(775) 348-0371
All DRI News Releases available at: http://news.dri.edu/
May 5, 2004
GreenPower solar and wind site installed at Traner Middle School
Traner Middle School in Reno unveiled its new solar and wind generating system today, the first alternative energy demonstration site to be installed in northern Nevada under the DRI Research Foundation's GreenPower Program. The system will generate 2.4 kilowatts of power for the school, but more importantly, it will generate interest and awareness among the school's students--future energy customers--for the potential of alternative energy technology to replace the use of fossil fuels as an energy source, said Hilary Crowley, GreenPower coordinator for the Desert Research Institute.
"Someday these students will be making decisions about the sources of energy that will provide power for their homes or businesses," Crowley said. "We hope they will be familiar and comfortable with the concept of alternative energy as a viable option."
She said the program is a joint effort with Sierra Pacific Power Company in northern Nevada and Nevada Power in southern Nevada, where three GreenPower sites have already been installed. The program is funded by tax-deductible contributions from power company customers who volunteer to pay an additional amount on their monthly power bills. That donation is forwarded to the DRI Research Foundation which administers the GreenPower Program.
The Traner site has a bank of 12 62-inch high by 32-inch-wide photovoltaic solar panels that generate two kilowatts of power and a wind turbine generating 48 watts with 45-inch diameter blades, all hooked up to the school's electrical system. While the system will save the school about $500 a year in electrical costs, Crowley said, the main value of the GreenPower installation is educational. Traner science teachers have received GreenPower curriculum information to incorporate into lesson plans about energy generation and use. An "envirometer" is also part of the package which will show students in real time how much power the system is producing and what that much power could run in terms of appliances or other demands.
Traner Science Department Chair Susan Smout said the installation makes the concept of using renewable energy more than just a good idea. "The solar panels will give our students a visual example of some abstract concepts. It is sometimes difficult to get students to understand the concepts of alternative energy sources. The Traner array will give our students hands-on experience with the real thing."
To get the students into an alternative energy frame of mind, poster contests were held for each of Traner's 7th and 8th grade levels and a schoolwide contest was held to give a name to the structure. The winners will be announced today, and the student who came up with the winning name for the array will receive a $100 savings bond donated by U.S. Bank. Sierra Pacific Power Company provided each Traner student with a GreenPower logo water bottle.
Crowley said the system cost $42,000 to purchase and install. The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust donated $15,000 to the project, the Sierra Pacific Power Foundation gave $10,000 and the balance came from DRI GreenPower funds and SPPC customer contributions.
"This GreenPower program is an example of our continuing effort to promote renewable energy," said Bob Balzar, director of Energy Efficiency and Conservation for Sierra Pacific Power Company and Nevada Power Company. "By educating young people about renewable energy and demonstrating its use first hand, we are focusing on a more sustainable future."
Sierra Pacific Power Company customers who wish to enroll in the GreenPower Program and contribute toward further GreenPower installations in northern Nevada can do so by going to the GreenPower web page at: http://www.sierrapacific.com/comenv/env/greenpower/join/
A nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national, and international scale. Nearly 500 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff conduct some 150 research projects at DRI annually. More than 85 percent of DRI's annual $37 million operating budget consists of research grants and contracts obtained by its scientists. The balance is received from the state of Nevada for administrative costs.