SCHOOL SOLAR SYSTEM
Donna Taylor
Marketing Manager
Di Cara Rubino Architects
POWERS LEARNING
It is not often that you can introduce
savings into the district while at the
same time enhance the curriculum.
However, that is exactly what the new
Discovery Classroom in River Edge’s
Cherry Hill Elementary does. Its
design not only addresses rising
energy costs, but also puts global
warming at the forefront of the
curriculum with its integrated solar
panel system.
The new Discovery Classroom is
actually the next generation of River
Edge’s award-winning Discovery
Room at Roosevelt School designed
by Joseph A. Di Cara, AIA, Firm
Principal of Di Cara | Rubino
Architects. The original Discovery
Room, constructed in 1996,
converted a storage area into a
hands-on learning center that
featured exposed mechanical
systems in the room so that students
could see how a building operates.
Fast-forward to 2008 when energy
costs soar and electricity costs
increase annually by double digits and
the River Edge school district seized
the opportunity to address these issues
in its science curriculum.
This next generation classroom has
been designed and constructed to be
completely self-sufficient through the
use of photovoltaic cells; a renewable
energy system. While the classroom
is still “connected” to the school, the
solar energy that it harnesses is
distributed back into the grid, resulting
in an educational space that
technically stands alone and remains
carbon neutral. Additionally, the ecoconscious classroom features
environmentally-friendly finishes
including paint with low VOC content
and carpet and ceiling tiles
manufactured from recycled materials.
More importantly, the room is
designed to foster hands-on science
learning. The solar panels have
greatly enhanced the science
KEY POST VOLUME XXV, NO.1 - OCTOBER 2008
curriculum in this Kindergarten
through grade 6 district where the
concept of “green” energy is being
explored throughout all grade levels.
“The students in River Edge are
getting a unique education at the
elementary level as part of the
science curriculum thanks to the
addition of solar panels on the roof
of the school,” Kristen Crawford,
science teacher said.
“This real time
data is then used
to calculate exactly how
much energy is being
produced by
the solar panels.”
Computer stations monitor the solar
panels and are integrated into the
classroom to allow students to see
for themselves how much clean
energy is produced. From the
computer read out that feeds into the
Discovery Classroom, students
complete assignments and labs
based on real time data from the
solar panels. Students are able to
watch as the amount of energy
produced by the solar panels
increases as the sun’s intensity gets
stronger throughout the day.
This real time data is then used to
calculate exactly how much energy is
being produced by the solar panels
and to answer questions such as, “Is
this enough to power my iPod?”
Other classes calculate how far one
can travel by car with the amount of
energy that is produced, as well as
the amount of CO2 that is not being
released into our atmosphere as a
result of the solar energy.
“This curriculum gets the students
excited, they run to the computers to
retrieve the data!” Ms. Crawford
exclaimed.
Business Administrator Debbie
Trainor said the district has already
experienced tangible savings. The
district previously bused its students
for learning opportunities at the
Discovery Room at Roosevelt School
but now students have the same
opportunity at both district elementary
schools, with lower district
transportation costs.
The district is also tracking the cost
savings this year so that in March the
results can be reported at
budget time. In fact, the
calculation of the cost savings
will be part of the lesson plan
for the fifth and sixth grades.
“I would like other business
administrators to know that
these types of projects are
financially viable and could,
with today’s economy, be an
important facet of presenting
your next budget to your
community,” Ms. Trainor added.
Yet Trainor believes its greater
success story is in its
intangible benefits.
“Not only do we teach our
students about renewable
energy, hopefully it becomes
part of a way of life for them
as a more conservative
generation,” Trainor said.
Based on the success of the
Discovery Classroom at
Cherry Hill, the district is
looking forward to hopefully
include solar panels at
Roosevelt School next year to
expand the science curriculum
and produce further energy
savings for the district.
cannot wait any longer to
explore alternative energy
sources, and with the financial
incentives in place for school
districts, it really is a win-win
situation.”
What better place to start this
movement than at our schools,
where we can educate the
next generation on energy
conservation.
If you would like to implement
alternative energy saving
solutions in your district
consider the following projects:
1. Go Solar. Recent changes in
the clean energy rebate program
allow districts to take advantage
of Solar Renewable Energy
Certificates (SRECs), New
Jersey Department of Education
debt service aid, and Clean
Renewable Energy Bonds
(CREBs) to install solar panels.
Together with the energy
savings of the new panels,
districts have the opportunity to
provide these systems at a 0%
tax increase. Annual savings
can be used to offset additional
energy saving projects.
Mr. Di Cara feels strongly that
classrooms, such as this one,
can be an important part of the
solution to today’s climate crisis.
2. Upgrade your mechanical
and lighting systems. The
systems available today
greatly reduce demand on
your energy consumption.
“We are now at a tipping point
with solar energy, whereas in the
past it felt good and was the
‘right’ thing to do, now it is almost
a necessity in order to address
energy costs in a school district,”
Mr. Di Cara said.
3. Select materials carefully.
School districts should
consider the “cradle to cradle”
concept in which interior
finishes, such as ceiling tiles
and flooring, are derived from
other recycled materials.
Di Cara | Rubino Architects is
currently working with several
New Jersey school districts
that would like to install solar
panels as a means of
offsetting energy costs.
Projects, such as this one, are
now easier to implement
because solar panels have
become more affordable,
offering a greater rate of return
on a district’s investment.
4. Solar is just one way to go.
Other districts have been very
successful reducing energy
costs with the use of geothermal
systems. Newer, smaller wind
turbines are also becoming
more readily available.
“The timing is right now,” Mr.
Di Cara explained. “We simply
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