Providing our children with an environmental education

What is a Solera Sustainable Classroom?

Since the 1980s Solera has been providing Ontarians with clean electricity options, and educating communties about the benefits of solar power. The goal of the Solera Sustainable Classroom goes well beyond merely installing a bank of solar panels on a school roof. The Solera Sustainable Classroom provides a hands-on, real world, green education to the youth of Ontario, and reduces our overall impact on the environment.

The Solera Sustainable Classroom is a learning space within your school where students learn about sustainable and renewable technologies. Depending on your individual classroom it may contain a combination of the following:

• Solar PV Panels
• Solar Hot Water Panels
• Green Roof
• Rain Barrel and Solar Water Pump
• White Roof
• In-classroom Monitoring System
• Web-based Monitoring System

The interactive nature of the concept is what makes it a unique and valuable experience for students, who can monitor the electricity ouput and various other aspects of the systems. In addition to this, the education provided by Solera on your classroom’s unique features and benefits allows for an exceptional educational experience.

How does this benefit our school/our students?

When you have a Solera Sustainable Classroom, students are given the opportunity to interact with the technology of the future and learn in simple terms:

• the environmental importance of the technology and it’s impact on ecological systems
• the physics behind solar power and access to detailed monitoring equipment

In addition to the ongoing classroom activities, Solera can also provide an expert speaker to come to your school for a tailored presentation on green energy. This education day can be organized by the students in the school and can include the community and parents.

Can we afford a solera sustainable classroom?

Any school in Ontario can afford a Solera Sustainable Classroom. The Ontario government has made it possible for systems to be installed and actually generate revenue for the school. The energy generated by your solar PV panels will be sent directly to the Ontario electricity grid. Under the Provincial Feed-In-Tariff your school can receive up to ¢80.2 per kWh generated, almost 8x times the cost of $0.11 that you are now paying to buy that energy back from the grid! This ultimately generates thousands of dollars for you and greatly offsets the cost of the system.

We can show you all the ways.

How does this help our environment?

Your school is helping us take a big step forward by reducing its impact on the climate system. Green Roofs provide several unique benefits including storm water management, heating and cooling benefits, energy savings, air quality improvements, and beautification of our city.

Okay, I'm interested...How do I get started?

The first step is to arrange for one of Solera’s Sustainable Energy Consultants to visit your school. During this visit, Solera will discuss your particular needs and identify the opportunities at your school for sustainable technologies. Access to the roof of the school will be necessary. Once a budget has been identified, Solera will provide you with a package of options within your budget for green technologies that suit your needs.