This month Strathfield North Public School and Victoria Avenue Public School celebrated their transition to solar power as part of the Solar my School program with a Solar Buddy light-building workshop for students, supported by Council.
"The City of Canada Bay joined the Solar my School program in 2019 and as it comes to a close in our area this month we are proud to say we have been part of an initiative that has helped schools make the switch to solar and produce their own clean energy," said City of Canada Bay Mayor Angelo Tsirekas.
To celebrate the installation of solar panels at their schools, 80 students from Strathfield North Public School and 90 students from Victoria Avenue Public School participated in Solar Buddy workshops led by Council staff, where they made solar-powered lamps and wrote personal letters to send to students experiencing energy poverty in developing countries.
In the workshops students learnt that nearly 800 million people globally are living in energy poverty, meaning they lack access to electricity. They depend on other forms of energy like burning charcoal, firewood or kerosene lanterns, which can have a devastating impact on health and wellbeing, educational outcomes and the environment they live in. Solar powered lamps will provide a renewable source of light for some of these people, helping children study and do homework after dark. It also improves the health and living conditions of their families.
"It's great to be able to help teach the next generation about the importance of renewable energy but also to share our resources with students locally and around the world," added Mayor Angelo Tsirekas.
The Solar my Schools program allowed schools to install solar panels through a partnership with Ausgrid's Power 2U program. The NSW Department of Education provided half of the funding for the solar project and a $16,000 NSW Community Building Partnership Grant, with the City of Canada Bay providing technical support from start to finish.
As part of the program, Strathfield North Public School has installed a 17kW solar system and is expected to reduce their emissions by 59 tonnes a year, while Victoria Avenue Public School installed a 30kW solar system, expected to reduce emissions by 36 tonnes a year. Abbotsford Public School installed 19kW solar system, expected to reduce 32 tonnes of greenhouse emissions.
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