Show and tell: Solarcentury explains the wonders of solar energy to Hampshire school children
On November 7th, Solarcentury Installation Manager Jason Arnold talked all things solar with a group of green-minded 7-11 year olds. Jason covered everything from what a solar panel feels like to touch to the amount of solar energy required to power a school with six classrooms! He fielded some challenging questions, aided by colleague Audrey Jover and some SolarAid solar lights as props to show how solar energy works.
The presentation at Lyndhurst Community Centre in Hampshire formed part of a wider ‘Energy Conference’ where children learned all about different types of renewable energies and how we can all do our bit to save energy at home and at school.
Jason commented, “It was amazing how much the kids already knew about solar and other renewable energies so its testament to how well schools are engaging their pupils about climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuels.
We’re always looking for ways to engage with local communities and explain the benefits of solar energy. Having completed a solar farm for West Solent Solar Cooperative in the area, we were excited to be invited to take part in an event that would help the kids understand more about the solar farm in their local area.”
In addition to the stands and exhibits, provided by SSE, Solarcentury, HCC, Raymond Brown, City Electrical Factors, and New Forest Transition, the children were able to view electric cars from Hire A Twizy and visit the biomass boiler in Lyndhurst Community Centre.
Children were from junior and primary schools from across the New Forest area. Earlier this year, Solarcentury built its first solar farm for an energy cooperative – West Solent Solar Cooperative (WSSC). The 2.4MWp solar farm produces enough clean solar electricity to power nearly 600 homes in the New Forest. The solar farm is located on a brownfield site, a restored gravel pit, and was connected to the grid in June 2014.
The conference was organised by the New Forest Transition School and Community Energy Saving Project, a project partly-funded by the New Forest National Park Authority’s Sustainable Communities Fund, and supported by Scottish and Southern Energy, Southern Water and Solarcentury.
