Students learn about careers in solar energy
At Unionville High School, students in math and science classes will work with real-time power production data from the solar panels and will get up on the roof to see the system in action, Whitesel said.
Anderson said the educational benefit of the solar project was a major motivator for Universal Audenried Charter High School’s pursuit of the Solar for Schools grant.
“There’s a lot of emerging jobs in basically any hands-on industry, but specifically electronics and electricity,” he said.
The solar array on Audenried’s roof will give students in the school’s engineering career and technical education program the chance to learn how to connect, disconnect and service solar panels, Anderson said. The school plans to work with Solar States to create a “solar lab” where students will also gather real-time data on the energy the panels generate.
Audenried senior Richie Palillero, 17, said he hopes to work in mechanical or robotics engineering, and that he’s curious about how the new solar panels work.
“I’m pretty sure this is interesting to all of us,” he said.
Watching the crane lift materials onto the Audenried roof alongside Palillero’s class, Gold-Markel directed students’ attention to the worker operating the crane.
“I think he’s making about $80 an hour,” Gold-Markel said. “Guess what the roof workers on this job who are installing the solar are going to make. … $100 an hour.”
“Who here wants to make $100 an hour?” he asked.
Several students raised their hands.