Written and Submitted By: Cheryl Glaeser, YES! Development Coordinator
Did you know that in 2016 an average of 580 kw of solar power was installed each day in Minnesota? This was just one example of what students learned in the You Are my Sunshine session of the YES! Fall Summit. Eric Pasi, Chief Development Officer with IPS Solar, helped students learn how solar energy works and shared some excellent examples of how schools are using solar energy to not only save money and our environment, but also incorporate STEM learning into their curriculum. IPS Solar has been doing a lot of work with school districts and helping educators incorporate STEM learning into their curriculum. Eric was excited to share with students that the project they may have passed on I94 on their way to the Summit is an IPS Solar project. The St. Joseph 28,000 panel community solar project is subscribed to by 3 area school districts as well as other industry and community subscribers. As Eric said, “These systems create data based on power performance, solar irradiance and the weather. As students, you can chart that data, conduct experiments and learn about the technology.” You too can learn about their Solar for Schools Program!
