Students propose school goes Solar

What is better than saving the environment and having an eco-friendly education? According to students at Stevens High School, not much. Recently this group had created a petition to convince the Rapid City Area School Board to begin converting to a solar-powered based energy system.

Luka (Alexander) Gibeau, the head of this movement says, “Our school district is struggling financially, and it has been tried by a lot of other districts, and they have found that it can be a lot cheaper. Secondly, I am worried about Global Warming, climate change, this can help reduce Steven’s carbon footprint. It (Solar Power) works perfectly for its purpose, Solar panels only work during the day, School only runs during the day and the cost of solar energy has gone down a lot recently compared to other renewable sources. It is the most viable option.”

In neoteric research with Consumer Affairs, $2.39 is about the average cost per watt to run solar energy. Schools need between 900 to 1300 solar panels for the school to run. Quick math shows that the start-up will cost anywhere between 645,500 to 940,000 dollars depending on the size of the school. The only question is, who will pay for this?

While the petition had eighty signatures at the time of print, including staff and students, Gibeau admits to not having much of a plan after the petition which is holding some supporters back.

“I think this idea has a ton of potential however, I don’t feel comfortable putting my name on this petition without a plan,” said AG Leadership Teacher Genetie Hendrix.

Like Hendrix, others also like the idea but are waiting for more of a plan. Solar panels may seem a ways off for Stevens or Rapid City but with students driving the charge, it is only a matter of time.