ELSS Environmental Projects
Elliot Lake Secondary School Community Conservation Initiative
Solar and Wind Energy Project
In May and June of 2007, an ELSS committee was struck to apply for a Community Conservation Initiative Grant from the Ontario Ministry of Energy for $50,000. The proposal was accepted and the grant confirmed in early September, 2007 for the following project components:
- Education and public awareness of renewable energy technologies through workshops, tours, public service announcements and advertising
- Installation of a 2 kW Solar Photovoltaic Array of 12 solar panels by Sunvolts Unlimited of Parry Sound for $20,000 (load displacement connection which is a fancy way of saying it will make the spinny thing on your hydro meter turn slower!)
- Installation of a 3.5 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) by Cleanfield Energy of Ancaster for $20,000 (load displacement connection).
- Connection of computerized wind and solar electricity data to the internet for student use on the school network to monitor, analyse and interpret the generation of electricity at ELSS (and how much coal that DID NOT have to be burned: over 5000 t per year, by the way).
- The research, design and fabrication by ELSS students of a solar collector (thermal) to heat water for school use.
- Planting broadleaf trees by students near classroom windows for summer shade and winter sun in order to reduce HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) costs and remove carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air.
- The goals of this project are inherently educational as a showcase to those in our community and beyond that renewable energy technologies are achievable when the right conditions exist.
The potential challenges of this project are:
- The 40+ hours to complete all the necessary elements of the application and proposal writing process.
- The commitment of key people to champion the initiative: Director, Principal, Vice-Principal, School Board Head of Physical Plant, Technology teachers, Physics, Art and Media/Communications teachers, Head Caretaker...
- The tendering process for the contracts to install components.
- Engineering and planning logistics for installation and obtaining building permits.
- Working with a government agency (turns out they are wonderfully helpful, quick to respond and very accommodating)
- Approval from senior administration at the Algoma District School Board
- Approval and inspection by Hydro One and the Electrical Safety Authority
All of these were handled without serious problems thanks to the work of committee members and in particular because of the hard work and skills of Mr. Brad Lees, Head of Physical Plant for the eastern part of our school district. He has thrown himself into the technical and logistical aspects of the project from proposal to tendering to installation. The challenge that has caused us some grief is the timing and coordination of the contractors involved due to the distances, weather and unforeseen problems that inevitably arise as a result of a project this big. Without Brad, I shudder to think!!
It has been my pleasure to work with such a group of committed education staff who have had enthusiasm and a vision for this project from the very beginning.
Lindsay Killen
Solar and Wind Project Chair
