Solar-Powered Bus Shelter Debuts At West Orange School

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A new solar-powered bus shelter now stands by West Orange High School's Conforti entrance, thanks to a cooperative project between the Technology and Engineering Department and the town of West Orange.

According to Supervisor of Technology and Engineering Ryan DelGuercio, the project began three years ago, when two engineering students set out to solve a problem: having no shelter or way to charge their phones while waiting for their rides home after evening events.

The project got a boost when the West Orange Environmental Commission invited NJ Transit planners to West Orange High School to meet with staff and students, who had been building solar-powered LED circuits for lanterns to be distributed through Liter of Light, an organization providing disaster relief across the world. The students mastered the LED circuit-building schematics, then proceeded to create their own lanterns and solar-powered designs. Two students also created a bus shelter with PVC tubing and solar-powered LED lights and phone chargers.

In 2019, the township received a Sustainable Jersey grant for $10,000 to do the work – another major milestone.

Mayor Susan McCartney, who was serving as a council member at the time, requested that NJ Transit try to locate a bus shelter as a donation for the project. With the help of Assemblyman John McKeon, organizers managed to find and procure a discarded bus shelter in need of repair from a NJ Transit storage yard on Ferry Street in Newark.

The West Orange Department of Public Works, along with Select Towing owner John McElroy, donated their time and labor to transport the bus shelter to the high school. Led by Catherine Gardner (engineering) and Max Grossman (woodworking), West Orange students began constructing the shelter over the course of three years.

The shelter was unveiled on June 21.

It’s equipped with solar panels that will collect energy from the sun and convert it into electricity, which will be used to power the shelter's lighting and cell phone charging station, DelGuercio said.

According to DelGuercio, the project was a resounding success:

“Teachers will be integrating the shelter into lesson plans as an educational resource, where students will learn how it was designed and built – while understanding the science behind solar power and sustainability. Every program within the Technology and Engineering department played a role in its construction, from engineering to graphic design. The shelter stands as a testament to the deep understanding in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) that our teachers and students employed in its construction.”

The latest milestone got a big thumbs-up from the mayor.

“This is another example of how the cooperation between our township and school district provides STEM learning opportunities and solutions to real-world problems,” McCartney said.

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