Belen Consolidated Schools is hoping a new grant will help the district educate students in solar technology as jobs become available at two new local solar facilities.

“It’ll be great for kids because they’ll be trained. They’ll be able to compete with all the others who will be coming in,” said Frank Ortega, the head of district maintenance, who coordinated the grant application. “We’ll be able to keep some of our kids close to home. My son’s in the military fighting in Iraq. I would like for him to have some opportunity here in our city. I would want him to stay here, and hopefully a lot of other kids would like to stay here in Belen.”

If awarded to the district, the American Recovery and Reinvestment grant, a portion of $10 million spread across 15 to 20 schools around the state, would pay for a 100-kilowatt, nearly 40,000-square-foot photovoltaic solar power system.

The school board wants to construct the system on or near the Belen High School Career Academy, where students are given hands-on instruction, everything from automotive repair to nursing.

The board wants to combine the solar system with solar-related curriculum at the career academy, so students can interact with and learn from the new technology.

“I’ve related this project and what it purports to do to the science standards that would cover energy and solar,” said Geneva Nixon, the district’s director of curriculum, who’s begun developing the curriculum. “I’ve come up with lessons plans on how to inform students about the project and how to get them involved in it.”

She said if the district is lucky enough to get the grant she’ll develop curriculum beyond science, to add business, mathematics and social science components. Board President Jamie Goldberg wants students to work hands-on with the solar panels, helping out the engineers.

The district is taking a forward-thinking approach to the grant, realizing that the City of Belen is working ambitiously to create Belen as the hub of solar technology in New Mexico.

“Overall, Belen is doing a lot with solar energy here recently,” Board Member Sammy Chavez said. “We’re tying the efforts of the community into what we’d like to do in the schools.”

Late last year, the governor announced Signet Solar, a solar manufacturing company with operations in Germany and India, wants to build in Belen, providing up to 600 jobs over several years. Last month, the governor announced that a solar development facility would be built on Belen’s west mesa, bringing up to 50 jobs.

The solar system and its educational components could also be combined with the City of Belen Energy Park, which when constructed, will be a park filled with solar technology that’s linked to a nearby computer lab, where youth can interact with and study the technology. That lab is expected to be located at the Belen Community Center, right next to the career academy.

Aside from the educational benefits, the grant could also save the district money.

“The meters go backwards and every time they do that we save money,” Ortega explained. “I was shocked myself. I used to do that at the house and they told me it was illegal. No, I’m kidding. For the renewable energy credit, we get 24,285 per year. Annual savings is $39,669.”

The district could save an estimated $793,000 in 20 years. The system has a lifespan of 35 years.

Los Lunas Schools is also applying for the solar grant, with the school board approving, without discussion, the application on Tuesday night. No one was available in the superintendent’s office when we called for details.

This page was published on October 30, 2009 at 12:57pm and is filed under Schools.