da Vinci Arts Middle School

Project Partners: BEF, Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc., Portland General Electric (PGE) Location: Portland, OR Capacity: 1.1 kW Type of Power: Solar Placed into Service: March 2005 Project Links: Energy Trust of Oregon Portland General Electric

da Vinci Arts Middle School is the 11th project in BEF’s Solar 4R Schools program, and one of four metro area schools to receive solar electric panels from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), the Energy Trust of Oregon, and Portland General Electric (PGE) during the first quarter of 2005.

The Solar 4R Schools program provides a demonstrable means of educating students on the functions and benefits of solar electric power at no financial cost to the schools. In addition to producing clean, renewable energy, each school’s solar power system includes a curriculum package that uses web-based, real-time data generated by each installation to help teachers instruct students on the benefits of renewable energy.

The solar panels complement da Vinci’s innovative environmental curriculum. By incorporating the PV installation into their “living garden,” a complex system of plants and microorganisms that clean the school’s rain runoff and kitchen wastewater, da Vinci students are able to demonstrate several sustainable environmental practices, simultaneously. The students plan to utilize this unique facility in their efforts to educate the local community about environmentally sound energy and wastewater treatment practices.