8/2/2005 - Alternative power project for Sandgate School

Sandgate School in Kendal has received a £5,000 LA21 environmental grant from Cumbria County Council to help with an innovative project for the school to generate its own sustainable energy.

The county council’s cabinet has approved the grant from its £38,000 Local Agenda 21 fund for 2004/5 to help pay for high-tech solar panels and help teachers and pupils build their own power producing wind turbine.

The sustainable energy technology, specially chosen and designed to be unobtrusive, will help power computers and other equipment at the school. But even when the school is empty at weekends, school holidays and before school day starts and after it ends, any power being generated will be re-routed to the national grid to earn extra cash for the school.

The project will also be used as an educational tool at the special school on Sandylands Road which caters for 59 youngsters with special educational needs ranging from severe to profound learning difficulties.

As well as teaching new generations about renewable energy and protecting the environment, the project will also become part of the curriculum.

The turbine and the solar panels will be linked with a new weather station within the school so pupils can learn about climate by making comparisons between how much power is generated and how sunny or windy it has been.

Teacher Dan Hinton and sixth formers from Sandgate will be building their own wind turbine with help from students and staff at Settlebeck School in Sedbergh.

Mr Hinton said: "We have great ambitions for the future to become more and more self-sufficient - our aim is for Sandgate School to be able to generate all its own power from renewable sources within the next three years. It's thanks to the backing of the head teacher, the help of the County Council's sustainability team, the LA21 environmental grant and the help of Settlebeck School that this is project has been possible."

Councillor Lawson Short, cabinet spokesman on the environment, will be on-hand to launch the scheme at a special ceremony at the school at 10am on Thursday, 10th February.

He said: "What a fantastic project. This is exactly the sort of thing LA21 grants are meant for - not only will the project reduce the school's need for non-renewable energy from the national grid, it will also teach the next generation about the importance of the environment, our impact upon it and the urgent need to find sustainable sources of energy. On top of all that it will become an interesting and inter-active part of the curriculum for all the school's children."