Union Ridge School, a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in Harwood Heights, was originally founded as a one-room schoolhouse in 1876 and to this day, continues to be a beacon of early education and innovation for area families.
Solar array on Union Ridge School rooftop
On this year’s Earth Day, ComEd delivered Union Ridge a $62,700 rebate to offset the cost of installing a rooftop solar energy system to advance sustainability and energy savings while creating a teaching and learning moment for students. School leaders will leverage the opportunity created by the solar project to teach renewable energy principles to students.
Teacher Catherine Lenzini has taught at Union Ridge for over 30 years, passing down her love and passion for science to her 7th and 8th grade students. One of the latest science units she’s taught is how solar energy is harnessed to create carbon-free electricity.
Union Ridge Teacher, Catherine Lenzini, with 8th grade student, Liz.
“Having our school adopt solar energy was incredible and also serves as an awesome tool to teach students about the need for and benefits of renewable energy,” said Catherine. “It makes it an easier and more authentic learning environment when we can point to how much electricity our solar panels have produced, and how much we are saving on our electric bill.”
Catherine refers to the Union Ridge solar dashboard displayed in their school lobby that allows students and staff to see the amount of solar energy being produced on their rooftop and even how many gallons of gasoline it is offsetting. Since the completion of the project in December, which includes 440 solar panels, Union Ridge’s solar array has produced a total of 115 megawatts hours (MWh). That’s equal to powering nearly 11 average homes in Illinois for an entire year. Over the next 25 years, the school is projected to save roughly $580,000 on electricity costs.
Solar science projects in Catherine’s class have ranged from building small cars motorized by solar-powered batteries to creating basic presentations that teach younger grade levels how solar energy works. One of her 8th grade students, Liz, shared what it was like creating a model on how photons move in a solar panel and what it means to have solar energy power her school.
“It was really fun,” said Liz. “It was great teamwork in creating something that could teach others about solar power in a simple way. It makes me sad to see on the news how pollution affects the Earth and animals. I feel that we can do things to prevent that and lessen it. I feel that if we use less fossil fuels, we can reverse the damage, and solar panels are a great way to do that.”
To support customers who want to take action like Liz, ComEd launched in 2019 the Distributed Generation (DG) Rebate program to help reduce the upfront costs of installing solar energy systems. Since then, $211.5 million has been distributed to residential and commercial customers. As for schools, Union Ridge is only one of a handful in the region that has installed a solar array of its size on its roof.
“We are proud to support Union Ridge School in its move to solar—an investment that will benefit the school and community for years to come, while reducing its energy costs,” said Neena Hemmady, Vice President of Projects and Contracts for ComEd. “We hope that more and more schools will follow in their footsteps, including Catherine’s creative approach of engaging students in STEM education – an area that we at ComEd are passionate about.”
As more customers go solar to reduce their carbon footprint and as well as their energy costs, ComEd is here to help find the best solar option for you through online tools like the solar calculator. To learn more and get started in your solar journey, visit ComEd.com/Solar.
