District 39 Awarded Grant To Add Solar Panels At 5 More Schools

WILMETTE, IL — All six school buildings in Wilmette School District 39 will be equipped with solar panels thanks to a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, according to district officials.

The grant from the foundation's K-12 Solar Schools program provides funding for the installation of 1-kilowatt photovoltaic systems at Central, Harper, McKenzie and Romona elementary schools, as well as Wilmette Junior High. Highcrest Middle School already has solar panels installed after receiving a grant in a previous year, district officials said.

Superintendent Kari Cremascoli praised the involvement of District 39 students in the grant-writing process.

“We are extremely proud of our students and staff for their efforts to learn more about sustainable energy and to take action to support these efforts within our schools," Cremascoli said in a statement.

"This grant will advance our community-wide efforts at sustainability while providing our students with hands-on, real-world experiences to learn about renewable energy. We are thrilled," she added.

Launched in 2006, the Illinois Solar Schools program has awarded more than $5 million grants to more than 400 schools to support in installation of the systems.

Eligible public schools may apply for grants of up to $6,400 or 90 percent of the system and its installation cost, whichever is smaller.

In addition to supplementing school buildings' electricity use and giving students a first-hand look at renewable energy, online monitoring provides real-time data about the amount of electricity generated.