East Gets New Solar Panels

Six solar panels have been installed on the roof of East in the past month. This was at the request of environmental science teacher, James Lockard, to make East a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly school. Along with these solar panels, the school has been making little changes recently such as installing high-powered hand dryers, cutting down on the use of classroom lights and lowering temperatures on the thermostat. According to Dr. Krawtiz, these little changes are important.

“It goes along with the saying “small noble acts of courage can make a big difference,” ” Krawitz said.

Originally the installation plans didn’t even include the addition of solar panels. Lockard applied for a grant to finance the installation of a wind turbine in the middle of the parking lot. However, the cost of installation for the wind turbine was equal to the actual cost of the turbine, making it far too expensive. So Lockard opted for a more affordable route with solar panels.

The total cost of these six panels, including installation, ended up being a little over $10,000. This was funded primarily through a grant through the East Fund. The part not funded by the East Fund was paid for by a generous donation from the new branch of the UMB bank in Prairie Village.

Although these panels seem a bit pricey, they will end up “paying for themselves” because the initial cost will paid be back in money saved. One solar panel produces more than a kilowatt of energy, which is close to that of a microwave. So in total, the amount of energy produced from these six panels is equal to the amount of energy produced by 30 lights.

For Lockard, these alternative energy sources are extremely important.

“[Solar panels] are the future, and we need to show our students what the future is going to look like,” Lockard said.