Through a generous grant from the City of Boulder, Friends' School became “the greenest school in Boulder” (according to Eric Hinckley, the engineer and system designer for Solar Resource Consulting) with the installation of our solar array in November of 2011. 91% of the energy needs for the school's elementary building is now provided by our solar array. 

It is a system comprised of 144 solar modules which will generate 51,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per year. 27 solar panels face east (along 55th Street) on the sloping roof of the Great Room and 117 panels are on the flatter part of our elementary building above classrooms and the library.
 

Friends' celebrated the launching of our solar array on November 18, 2011 with a "Flip The Switch" ceremony, which included student performances, presentations by solar experts, Steve de Beer’s presentation about our vision for a sustainable future, and a demonstration of the online "AlsoEnergy Solar System Monitoring".
 

Installation of the solar panels helps us meet one of the major goals of our Strategic Plan, environmental sustainability. We will continue to explore ways for the school to reduce our impact on our planet. In addition, this project has also allowed Friends' to incorporate solar power into our curriculum, giving students the opportunity to learn about the solar array.

 

We are indebted to many people both in and outside of our school community for making this huge and amazing project possible, in particular Tom Cohen, Ryan Martens, Fred Marienthal, Carol Hampf, Jen Greene, Mandy Best, Gabe Simmons & City Electric, Doug Wells & Renewable Energy Ventures, Eric Hinckley & Solar Resource Consulting, Bill Roettker & the City of Boulder Environmental Advisory Board, Dacia Horn, Jana Bledsoe, Monique Davis & Thinking Davis, Mari Friedman, Meg Hansen, Matt Finberg, Ann Reid, Ryan McIntyre, Diane Bramble, Caroline Landry, Polly Donald, Kelle Boumansour & Kelly Crandall (Local Environmental Action Division (LEAD), City of Boulder)

 

If you have any questions about the system, please ask! In the meantime, you can check our solar production on this live website.