On April 22nd, YES Students from several southern Minnesota schools had the opportunity to learn about solar energy production and community solar thanks to our friends at Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF). In attendance were 20 students from Mankato East High School, Mankato West High School and Sleepy Eye Public Schools along with their coaches and YES Staff. We gathered together at Mankato East High School along with our presenters Bryn Shank and Rukia Abdi from CEF, a solar cooperative that owns and operates 8 community solar gardens serving over 700 subscribers across Minnesota.
The first part of this workshop included a presentation in which Bryn shared the basics of solar power generation, beginning with the reaction between silicon and sunlight and ending with new, clean energy entering the power grid. Bryn also shared with us the co-op principles that CEF adheres to including democratic control, autonomy and independence and concern for community. After this initial presentation, students had time to break into smaller groups and discuss what they had learned so far as well as think of questions to ask Bryn and Rukia. The YES students asked questions surrounding the sustainability of solar panels themselves, land use and the current limitations and future of solar power production. Students also asked for Bryn and Rukia to share more about their career paths and how they got into community solar and what their work entails. The YES students asked very insightful questions and Bryn and Rukia did an excellent job addressing every question and facilitating further conversation among the group.
After our presentation and breakout sessions, we all traveled to the CEF community solar garden in Waseca. This gave students an opportunity to understand the scale of a community solar garden and the construction and logistical considerations that come into play when building a solar array. We were all surprised to hear that this solar garden contained over 4,000 panels!
This workshop was an excellent way for YES Students to celebrate Earth Day and learn about the exciting future of renewable energy and opportunities for them to participate in it both as consumers as well as professionals. We are extremely grateful for our friends at CEF and all of the excellent work that they do!
Do you live in the Mankato area? Sign up for the new Mankato solar garden!
Watch the Solar Energy Workshop Here
