NLI Provides Educational Solar Tours for Students
PrintBy Elissa Glassman
Northern Lights (NLI) has an ongoing program sponsoring educational solar tours and workshops for students during the school year.
NLI installed a community solar facility at its Sagle headquarters in the summer of 2017. The project was fully funded through grants and shares bought by NLI members. The solar facility’s maximum output is 50 kilowatts, which is enough to power 5 to 11 homes, depending on the time of year and electrical use.
Since the fall of 2018, NLI has sponsored solar tours for more than 2,300 students, mostly fifth and 6th graders from Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This includes Boundary, Lakeland, Newport, Lake Pend Oreille, and Noxon school districts.
10 groups of homeschooled students have taken the tour. Students from the Farragut Farms Homeschool Academy took part in the solar tour in May.
NLI Solar Instructor Sandy Ross—a retired math and science teacher—assists with student tours and activities. During the tour, 1 of NLI’s electrical engineers explains facts about solar panels, how panels maximize exposure to sunlight, and how different weather events can affect the output.
An electrical engineer also leads the students on a tour of the solar array, gives an overview of the electric grid—including safety around electrical grid installations—and explains the difference between alternating current and direct current.
Sandy gives students firsthand experience with tiny solar panels. Students build and race solar-powered cars. She also educates students about all forms of renewable energy.
“Northern Lights is so supportive of these solar tours, including the NLI board, NLI management, and staff,” Sandy says. “Everyone contributes to the success of these solar tours. And so they are successful.”
