WCS warming up to solar power

Solar panels will soon be functioning at three Warsaw schools.

Washington STEM Academy, Lincoln Elementary and Edgewood Middle School will all soon have solar panels ready for students to study.

The panels were recently installed and will be operable within the next 30 days, said Joe Collier, owner of Collier’s Heating and Air.

Washington will feature two panels, including one panel that can be tilted. The students will be able to monitor the diligence in performance and the difference in both models. Edgewood and Lincoln both received one tilting panel. The students will have the chance to tilt the panel four times a year, as the seasons change.  Students can use laptops, iPads or their cell phone to monitor the effects of the panels, according to Collier.

The panels have an anticipated lifespan of about 35 years.

Collier said Northern Indiana has about 3.4 hours of direct sunlight during the day. Depending on the size, the panels can generate any where from 4,000 kilowatts of power a year to 8,000 kilowatts of power a year.

The school district helped fund the project with a $20,000 grant from the Dekko Foundation.