Texas High School Deploys Renewable Energy Thanks to Student Club

Taylor High School (THS) has deployed a renewable energy system that brings together solar and wind power in an effort to reduce costs and teach students about sustainable energy.

Comprising a 33-kilowatt solar installation, a 1-kilowatt wind turbine, and an integrated computer monitoring system, the project was launched after the school's Beginners Learning Alternative Designs for Energy (BLADE) Club won first place in the 2012 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) High School Photovoltaic Design Competition.

The club won the competition by converting by converting a donated 1995 GMC Safari to run on solar power. "The team won," according to an IEEE blog post, "not only for building the solar cells and the energy system, and for netting sponsorships and materials donations, but for teaching the public about solar energy with fun activities like free movies in the park using a projector, DVD player, and amplifier plugged into a weatherproof receptacle — all powered by the BLADE van."

"Leveraging its prize money awarded by IEEE and Heliovolt, BLADE was able to secure $120,000 of funding from The State of Texas for this renewable energy project," according to a news release.

"You can only learn so much from a book," said Jonathan Rose, planning engineer and THS BLADE Club mentor, in a prepared statement. "The IEEE High School Photovoltaic Design Competition motivated us to build the BLADE Solar Van and, in the process, provided an excellent hands-on learning experience. We're excited that the club's Solar Van first-place victory and the funding from IEEE, Heliovolt, and the State of Texas, afforded the school with a broader renewable energy learning source with the school's new solar and wind system, as well as provided a constant source of inspiration to the children that they can make a difference."

"The installation of the school's new renewable energy system and today's ribbon-cutting ceremony represent an exciting time at Taylor High School," said Danny Ward, THS principal, in a prepared statement. "In addition to offsetting the school's energy costs, the new system provides students the opportunity to learn about renewable energy from an active system."

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • robot typing on a computer

    Microsoft Unveils 'Computer Use' Automation in Copilot Studio

    Microsoft has announced a new AI-powered feature called "computer use" for its Copilot Studio platform that allows agents to directly interact with Web sites and desktop applications using simulated mouse clicks, menu selections and text inputs.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.