A CALL has gone out from Okehampton College for the community to back it in an exciting new project that combines education, new technology and an underlying 'green' ethos. Keith Webber, community technology co-ordinator at Okehampton College, has unveiled plans for the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the college. The installation of solar panels on one of the college roofs would see reduced carbon emissions, promote greener attitudes in future generations and would be a valuable cross-curriculum educational tool. It would also generate a saving of around £1,000 each year on electricity bills. One of the unique benefits of this system of solar panels is a 'Dashboard' data stream that records a huge amount of data in real-time. The Dashboard system will display live data on a plasma screen in the college foyer as well as being available to students via the internet. The data includes information on how much electrical power is being created at any given time, how much carbon dioxide is being saved, atmospheric conditions, temperature, rainfall, wind speed and the amount of solar radiation. Mr Webber said: 'The data stream can be used to support many areas of the curriculum. 'The Dashboard element will be a valuable educational tool and will help to raise awareness and promote green attitudes in future generations.' The idea came off the back of an impact day, on the subject of energy for the future, held at the college on February 5. The impact day saw year 10 students treated to different workshops run by a number of organisations including the UK nuclear fusion team, Exeter University, West Country Energy Action, Global Action Plan, the National Marine Aquarium and the Royal Science Institute. This was followed by an evening energy quiz sponsored by Exeter City FC, Plymouth Argyle FC, Exeter chiefs RFC, the Northcott Theatre, Merlin Cinema and the Theatre Royal, who all donated entry tickets as prizes. Mr Webber added: 'The solar panel scheme is just one of many ideas under consideration to help portray the school as a forward thinking, energy conscious technology college. 'It may form part of an integrated approach that will involve other renewable energy sources such as hydro-electricity 'Since we are a technology college, we want to present ourselves as a model for renewable energy schemes that will also be accessible for domestic households and local businesses. 'Although the technology is expensive there are funds available for domestic households to tap into and we want to raise awareness of that. This is something we can make happen.' The schemes are still in their planning stages and the next step is to gather support from the Okehampton community. Okehampton mayor Tony Leech said: 'I support all renewable energies providing they can prove their efficiency. 'As the college is a technology college, we ought to be securing the very best and up to date technology.' Okehampton Town Council have also pledged support to the scheme. Mr Webber has urged members of the community or any community groups to show their support by either writing to Okehampton College or e-mailing him directly on [email protected]">[email protected] The college is also keen to hear from people regarding avenues of funding that could be pursued for the schemes.
