The Community Times Dispatch

Coastal Electric Cooperative, Santee Cooper and Colleton County School District announced the formation of the Green Power Solar Schools program in the cooperative territory, on June 11, 2008. Ruffin Middle School has been selected as a Green Power Solar School.

?This technology will possibly help us in two ways,? said the school?s principal, Harry Jenkins. It gives us hands-on concepts for our students and it may reduce our cost of operation,? Jenkins said?It?s a win-win situation.?

According to Jenkins, 6th Grade Ruffin Middle School Science teacher Kimberly Fee will be implementing the curriculum with her students this fall. He said the program meets South Carolina sixth grade science standards.

The Green Power Solar Schools initiative is designed to encourage interest in the environment and demonstrate the feasibility and limitations of renewable power generation. Each Green Power Solar School receives a 2-kilowatt solar system, which will provide a teaching, research and hands-on demonstration opportunity for students. The project uses a new renewable energy curriculum designed especially for the program that meets state science standards. Each school program is supplemented by an Internet-based monitoring system that provides real-time access to information on the system?s performance as well as other solar schools in South Carolina.

Jenkins said that Fee will be attending a weeklong training in Moncks Corner, South Carolina beginning on August 4, 2008.

Fee was not available for comment prior to publication of this article.

?Coastal Electric Cooperative is excited and proud to be a partner in this innovative program. Serving our members to improve their total quality of life is a cornerstone of our operations. We can?t think of a better way to honor our tradition of service than to enrich the educational experience of young people through Green Power Solar Schools,? said Lawrence J. Hinz, Coastal Electric Cooperative CEO. ?We look forward to the benefits this partnership will bring to our community and to our young people.?

Green Power Solar Schools represents one way that Santee Cooper and the state?s 20 electric cooperatives promote renewable energy, and it fulfills Santee Cooper?s commitment to reinvest Green Power Funds back into renewable resources across South Carolina. In September 2001, Santee Cooper became the first electric utility in the state to generate and offer Green Power to its customers from methane gas collected at the Horry County Solid Waste Authority Landfill near Conway. Since then, two additional landfills in Lee and Richland counties have opened, as has the 16-kilowatt solar installation at Coastal Carolina University. Another landfill methane gas generating site has been announced in Georgetown County. Santee Cooper, all 20 electric cooperative and The City of Georgetown market Green Power to their customers.

?Renewable energy exploration and conservation are important ways to help meet the growing electricity needs in our state. Green Power Solar Schools is an important part of our commitment as an environmental leader. It is exciting to be a part of challenging the next generation to think differently about energy sources that will reap benefits for future generations,? said Lonnie Carter, president and chief executive officer of Santee Cooper.

?Exposing our young people to the latest technology is critical component of teaching and learning in our complex world. This project combines the use of technology with a relevant and exciting science curriculum to engage students as they explore the energy challenges we face today,? said Charles W. Gale, Jr., superintendent of Colleton County School District.