Panthers for Panels is a group of parents, students,teachers, and residents of the Wallingford Swarthmore School District, who are concerned about climate change. We want to take the first step towards reducing our dependency on fossil fuels by privately raising the funds to purchase and install solar panels on our snack bar, the Panther Pit.
installation Cost
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What will we Save?
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The total project cost is expected to be $30,000 for approximately 24 panels, including installation and monitoring equipment. The Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools has agreed to act as fiduciary to accept the charitable donations. Fundraising should take about one year. We have already raised almost $3,000 in community donations via a GoFundMe campaign.
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The solar array will generate 7,443 kilo Watt hours (kWh)each year, approximately the amount of energy an average Pennsylvania household consumes annually. Surplus electricity will be fed back into the grid to offset the School District's carbon footprint and energy bills.
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Energy Education Programs
There will be a ground-level, hands-on demonstration as well as the rooftop panels. There will be real time on-line monitoring of the solar array output that will tie into the Middle School STEM curriculum, the Weather Bug site, PECO's Energy Education Program and the National Energy Education Development program. It will complement ongoing sustainability efforts such as the green roof initiative, recycling, the geothermal energy system, Earth Day education events and environmental clubs in each school in the District. The ground level hands-on demonstration equipment will bring tens of thousands of people closer to a solar installation than they normally get. This demonstration may also inspire homeowners to add solar to the mix of energy sources that they use.
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Our Inspiration
We modeled this campaign on Team up for Turf, they raised $200,000 to install artificial turf on our football field. When we started this campaign, I asked one of the founders for advice. She told me that if every resident of the school district had donated $20 up front, they would have made their goal immediately. Fortunately, we aren’t trying to raise anywhere near that much money. Unfortunately, not everyone in the district is interested in reducing our carbon footprint, or able to make a contribution. So, we are asking everyone who is concerned about climate change to visit our gofundme.org/panthers4panels website and contribute whatever you are comfortable with. If you are more comfortable writing a check, you may donate to the Foundation for Wallingford Swarthmore Schools and write Panthers 4Panels in the memo line.
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If you are interested in joining us, and can donate sometime towards this cause, please contact Carol Getty [email protected]
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