Buffalo Grove, Wheeling Schools Receive Renewable Energy Funding

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Under Cook County’s Solar Schools Grant program, the Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability awarded grant funding to 24 public schools to support the construction of small photovoltaic systems used to educate students first-hand how sunlight is converted into electricity.

Local schools receiving grant funding include:

• Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove
• Holmes Middle School in Wheeling
• London Middle School in Wheeling

The County’s program provides supplemental funding to grantees of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation’s (ICECF) K-12 Solar Schools Program, which assists with the installation of 1kW PV systems throughout Illinois institutions serving grades K-12. Each school is reimbursed a maximum of $5,000 by the County upon installation of the system.

“Cook County is grateful to the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for their partnership on this important initiative,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a news release. “This program enables our young people to better understand the science behind renewable energy and to see that a career in renewable energy might be in their future.”

Grantees commit to incorporating solar and renewable energy into their STEM curriculum, and to host “Solarbrations” that celebrate the PV system within their school community.

For more information about the County’s Solar Schools Grant program, visit: www.cookcountyil.gov/solarschools