Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

Press release
HECO engineers install photovoltaic panels on top of Kahuku
High School's cafeteria. Science teacher Brett Kewish says the
project gives students a chance to see technology at work, plus
it makes learning "a lot more fun and exciting."

Kahuku students experience
science with rooftop
solar power

HECO dedicates the solar project
today as part of its Sun Power
for Schools program

---

By Leila Fujimori
Star-Bulletin

Kahuku High School students are going up on the roof today.

It's not part of the continuing celebration of the school's state football championship.

Instead, it's a science and community project that the Hawaiian Electric Co. says is saving the school money and providing students with a practical science experiment.

HECO is dedicating a solar electric system today that it installed on top of the school cafeteria.

Science teacher Brett Kewish is using the solar panels to teach students the value of renewable energy.

"I think it's really interesting for the students to see how real-life technology is used in the real world," Kewish said. "And it sure makes it a lot more fun and exciting."

Kewish said students were hoping to ask engineers today how the solar panels actually collect solar energy and generate electricity.

Last week, students observed and measured the panels. And an advanced physics class has been conducting a project comparing the surface area and the kilowatts the panels produce, Kewish said.

Hawaiian Electric Industries' companies on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island donated and installed solar panels at 14 schools around the state in the Sun Power for Schools program.

Photovoltaic systems can supply 1 percent to 2 percent of a small school's electric load, HECO officials say.

HECO says the dollar savings -- about $400 a year -- is not much, but the program's emphasis is on education and awareness.

HECO installed eight rooftop panels, each covering a 200-square-foot area and weighing about 880 pounds, at the participating schools.

"The kids are real interested in ways to collect energy that doesn't harm the environment," Kewish said.