Alamitos to Get Solar Patio Cover
Students at Alamitos Intermediate School will get a firsthand education in solar energy this fall when they become Orange County’s first school to generate energy from a solar patio cover.
The $30,000 shelter will be installed for free by Southern California Edison in a program that brings energy-generating solar panels to schools. The company will build a 46-by-49-foot patio shelter, equipped with 48 rooftop solar panels, extended over campus lunch tables.
Each of the panels contains photovoltaic cells, which turn sunlight into electricity without moving parts or fossil fuels. The solar panels, which do not create any pollution, are expected to generate 10 kilowatts of energy, enough to power the electrical needs of five households at any given time.
In addition to generating electricity, which will be collected and used during peak periods, students will use the structure for science lessons about solar energy.
--BY CATHY WERBLIN, DEBRA CANO AND KIMBERLY BROWER
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