Your PUD
News Release
Cashmere Middle School to install solar panels
Chelan County PUD
News Release
9/17/2002
Cashmere Middle School will become the newest producer in the PUD’s Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program this Friday, Sept. 20, with the installation of four solar panels at the school. The installation will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The four panels will be capable of generating a total of 600 watts of energy – about enough to run five personal computers. The power will not be used directly at the school, however, but will be distributed to Cashmere customers through the city’s electrical grid.
Russ Elliott, the school principal, and Todd Gibson, eighth grade science teacher, are coordinating the effort along with PUD Engineer Jim White. The city of Cashmere is providing help with the installation.
Donations from an employee group at the federal Environmental Protection Agency office in Seattle paid for the $4,500 project. White is researching additional funding possibilities from other sources to finance more school projects. White said his goal is eventually to have solar installations at all schools in Chelan County. The school solar power systems would be networked via the Internet and become one bulk producer of energy, he said. Schools could use the solar set-up as part of a continuing science curriculum, he noted.
Cashmere students will be able to monitor the output of their solar panels through a computer program.
The school will become the fifth producer of wind or solar energy under the PUD’s SNAP program. The program links producers of alternative energy in Chelan County with customers interested in purchasing that energy. More information on SNAP is available online.
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For more information contact Energy Services Engineer Jim White at 667-4205.
Susan Gillin
Public Information Officer
663-8121 Ext. 4249
421-3603 cell
susang@chelanpud.org