Solar Panels – the Future is here!

Could you imagine a world only using solar panels? We talked with Principal Bergmann about the future solar panels and how it will help our school in many ways for years to come. When asked why we are getting the panels, he said, “So students who are interested in solar systems can have the opportunity to work with them; it is a large career field.” Indeed, solar panels are a career many students do not think about – these panels are the possible future jobs for New Ulm high school students.

We are getting 3 large panels that hold 6 panels, so in total we are getting 18 panels. The solar panels are 10 KVA (Kilo Volt Ampere), which is a type of electrical unit. The school got grants from the ISD 88 Foundation for fifteen thousand dollars, and another grant from the city which was four thousand dollars, making a grand total of twenty thousand dollars.

Paul’s Electric donated their time and expertise on solar panels and will be putting them in on the mound by the greenhouse.  One of the main reasons the school chose Paul’s Electric was they have installed many solar panels before, so they know what they are doing.

“The Panels will be used mostly for the green house to ensure it is actually green, then however much power is left over will be sold back to the electric company,” Principal Bergmann said in response to how the panels will be used. We also asked Bergmann whether he ever had imagined solar panels would be in our future. “I did, because at the old high school (now the middle school), a company came and showed us where panels would be installed, but the prices were out of the budget; now we have the funds to be able to accomplish this,” he said.  The future of solar panels can widely help everyone so we can cut down on using traditional methods of power.

Classes at NUHS such as Natural Resources, Horticulture, Landscape and Design, and Economics will be used to help educate students about the benefits of solar energy. In addition to the panels, Mr. Bergmann would also like to see a wind turbine constructed on campus sometime in the near future. The possibilities are endless, and Bergmann is excited to be able to help students realize them.