The Darlington Solar Education Project was established in 2014 following a Facility Study to explore renewable energy possibilities. The overall goals of the project was to explore the following possibilities:
Electricity savings and locking in energy costs
Educational value for our students and community
Decrease in the carbon footprint
Darlington Community School District pursued a solar solution because we are committed to sustainable energy while ensuring the utilization of ecological, economic and social resources responsibly. The solar system became energized in January of 2016.
To ensure the overall goal of educational value to our students and community, Mark Hanson, Director of Sustainable Services at Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc. and Niels Wolters, Principal, Madison Solar Consulting, LLC prepared an educational presentation for our student body on December 9, 2015.
We have a live kiosk link to the solar panels that monitors the energy produced. The kiosk provides four categories to compare kilowatt hours produced with houses powered, trees grown, CO2 offset, and renewable energy produced. There are different time periods to view by clicking on the bottom links of the site. The district has also set up a public live kiosk in each building for students and community members to monitor the live energy production. Our district is proud to display the largest solar project on a public school setting in the state of Wisconsin.
