With the help of a grant from Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association in Fort Collins, work was recently completed on installation of solar panels at the Lyons Middle School and High School. The project is part of the Go Green! Initiative and is a key component of the Lyons Renew Our Schools program.
The system has a 20.16-kilowatt output with annual energy production of 26,546 kilowatt-hours. It is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 53,236 pounds per year. The new solar panels will provide an estimated 4 percent of the school district’s electricity consumption and result in direct savings of $3,000 per year.
The grant from PVREA will help to develop a hands-on curriculum to demonstrate renewable energy sources and how they operate within the framework of the nation’s electricity grid. It will include computer software to monitor energy output and even show how much greenhouse gases were reduced on a daily basis.