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TRAFALGAR, Ind. (AP) — An Indian Creek High School science teacher couldn't have asked for a more timely lesson to be placed down the hall from his classroom.
Tracy Hunter teaches his 10th-grade environmental science students about energy conservation and alternative energy systems. A prime example of both was just installed at the high school: a solar water-heating system that can save the school as much as $1,500 per month on its heating bill.
Hunter already has taken his students onto the roof of the high school to see the 12 solar panels and 360 copper tubes used to convert sunlight into heat energy. He's shown them the giant tanks that have been installed in the school's maintenance room and explained how the system works to produce hot water for the kitchen, showers and sinks at the school.
On Monday morning, one of his classes gathered in the hallway and listened to a demonstration from David Mann, the Bloomington plumber and solar technician who installed the system last month.
Mann showed students a monitor mounted outside the maintenance facility that allows anyone to see just how much energy is being produced by the solar panels. With heavy cloud cover on Monday, the count of British thermal units produced was zero, but that, too, was a lesson to pass on to students, the Daily Journal reported (http://bit.ly/1yJOZ9O ).
"When the sun is shining it doesn't matter what the temperature is, it will create energy. But if the sun is not shining, no energy," Mann said.
Hunter has been teaching his classes about wind, solar and geothermal energy and was glad to have an example of solar energy on the school property. Another plus is seeing the school set the example by paying attention to conserving energy. The system is expected to save the school 50 to 60 percent on its natural gas bill each month. The monthly bill at the 600-student school averages $2,600, school officials said.
"We've had the students researching how they can conserve energy at home. Now it's not just talking about it; they see that school is doing it. With the monitor they can see a real-life example of how much energy you can conserve," Hunter said.
The system and installation cost $95,000 but was donated to the school by Johnson County REMC and Hoosier Energy. The panels are designed to last at least 25 years.
The system is designed to heat water to temperatures of up to 400 degrees.
Here's how it works: The sun heats the solar panels, which in turn heat copper tubes. When the temperature of the panels and tubes is warm enough, water from a 600-gallon tank in the maintenance room is pumped to the roof and heated by the tubes, then returned to the room downstairs.
Water from a separate 200-gallon tank is heated by the energy from solar-heated water. The water from the two tanks is never mixed, but the heat is transferred through a small compartment called a flat plate heat exchanger. The heated water then can be distributed throughout the high school. Computers direct the entire process.
Johnson County REMC and Hoosier Energy view the donation of the system as part of its mission to help consumers conserve energy, said Johnson County REMC Chief Executive Officer Chet Aubin. Hoosier Energy is donating to 17 schools around the state.
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Information from: Daily Journal, http://www.dailyjournal.net
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