For a group of young students in Tampa Palms, May 15 was about one bright, shining idea above all else: Solar Day at Lawton Chiles Elementary.
Learning about agriculture was also on the day’s agenda, but it was the solar ovens spread across the school’s lawn – ovens built by teams of students to cook up hot dogs, cheese dip, s’mores and more – that generated the most excitement among the fourth and fifth graders. And when they weren’t sampling their concoctions or competing to see whose oven got the hottest, they heard Tampa Electric’s Shelly Aubuchon explain the science of the Tampa Electric-installed solar array behind the school.
“Once again, Solar Day was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity to show students both how fascinating solar power can be,” said Aubuchon, program manager with Marketing and Program Development. “It’s wonderful to see new groups of students each year gain a better understanding of the current value and limitations of solar power, as well as how important it is to Tampa Electric and to everyone’s future.”
While claims varied among the students about whose oven was “the best,” it was clear the students are learning a lot about solar power under the guidance of Solar Day organizer and Chiles Elementary School’s award-winning science teacher Sharon Cutler.
“There’s still a downside to solar power – we don’t have sun every day,” said Allana, a student at Chiles. “Sometimes it rains.”
Attending Solar Day with several colleagues, Josefina Valladares, energy conservation mentor with Hillsborough County Schools, talked about her enthusiastic support both for Tampa Electric’s focus on renewable energy and the company’s energy savings efforts.
“We have a great relationship with TECO, and presentations like [Aubuchon’s] at schools help us in our efforts,” she said. “The kids learn about the importance of saving energy and they bring that information to their parents to save energy at home.”
She added, “With the relamping project for the entire school district, we replaced 32-watt T-12 lights with more efficient 28-watt T-8 lights and in the process, we captured as lot of savings from the rebates TECO offers in addition to significant energy savings. Even a few watts’ savings here and there adds up over thousands of bulbs – in total, we’ve saved more than $1 million through energy-saving upgrades, and that money goes back into the classroom.”
TECO’s solar initiatives: so far, so good
While Solar Day at Lawton Chiles Elementary is – to the students’ chagrin – only one day out of the year, the school’s 10-kilowatt solar array generates value all year round. That’s especially true when the community needs it most. In an emergency, Chiles can serve as a community shelter with back-up power generated by the array and solar-charged batteries.
In addition to its solar arrays at several area schools that double as community shelters, Tampa Electric partners with organizations throughout the Tampa Bay area on new solar projects as part of TECO’s Renewable Energy program. These include places like Legoland, the Florida Aquarium, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry and other places that, combined, host millions of visitors each year.
Tampa Electric’s biggest solar project so far is taking shape at Tampa International Airport. At 2 megawatts, the array, under construction this year, will be comprised of solar panels over the top level of the airport’s south economy parking garage.
“We value solar’s potential, and we know it will play a greater role in meeting future energy needs,” said Gordon Gillette, president of Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas. “Our priority is to help solar evolve in a fair and efficient way, without sacrificing the reliability and affordability of the power we generate for our customers today and the communities we’ve served for nearly 120 years.”
While nearly 120 years is more than 110 years longer than a good portion of the students enjoying Lawton Chiles Elementary’s Solar Day have been around, they already share with Tampa Electric a firm belief in solar power’s potential.
“I just learned solar power is incredible!” said Tunde, a student at Chiles.
“Soon all the airplanes we fly in will use solar power!” another student piped up.
Give it time, students – maybe a few more Solar Days.
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