The Camels Hump Middle School in Richmond will soon have the distinction of hosting the largest solar energy project at a Vermont public school.
Senator Bernie Sanders secured more than $260,000 for the project. The state of Vermont also contributed $250,000 and Green Mountain Power kicked in $25,000 for the project.
345 photovoltaic cells will be installed on the school’s roof. The panels are expected to generate 12 percent of the school’s annual electrical usage.
Chittenden East Superintendent Jim Massingham says the solar panels will be an invaluable educational resource for students. And Massingham notes the school was one of the first to install biomass heating in 1992.
Green Mountain Power says the project could serve as a statewide model for power generation and renewable energy education.