Principal MaryAlice Bagwell stands next to the 117 solar panels installed on the roof of Mary Queen of Angels School. This project, which went live in August and has saved the school $425, is the latest step in Bagwell’s plan to make the school more environmentally friendly. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com In the Mary Queen of Angels School’s continuing effort to “go green” and be more environmentally responsible, it has installed solar panels on the roof, which will also save some green in the bank account.

Thanks to a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and a donation from Solar Liberty, the school was able to install 117 solar panels on the roof this summer and is already receiving a surge in savings.

According to Kim Windschitl, the school’s advancement director, in the three weeks since the panels went active, the school has produced nearly 3,000 kilowatts of energy, which equates to a savings of $425.

“It’s substantial,” Windschitl said. “The big thing that we really wanted to highlight is our continuing effort to go green and to teach our children.”

To that end, the school will incorporate a solar curriculum developed by Solar Liberty in cooperation with the Buffalo Museum of Science beginning this fall. According to Solar Liberty President Adam Rizzo, the students will do class experiments with a solar kit and make real-time solar electricity production observations.

“Solar energy systems at schools are about more than making electricity,” Rizzo said. “Young People will experience solar as a part of their daily routine. They see it, learn about it and use it.”

“They’ll see how important it is for the community to be responsible to the environment, for the school to be responsible, for them to be personally responsible,” added Mary Queen of Angels Principal MaryAlice Bagwell. “It’s just a great teachable moment for them.”

While the school has already seen a savings thanks to the sunny summer days in August, the projected savings are substantial. Solar Liberty expects the solar panels to cover 25 percent of the school’s electrical needs this school year, which will equate to $3,000 in savings. The panels should produce 26,068 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumed by five average homes.

The project is part of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese’s program to go green. Mary Queen of Angels is one of 44 Catholic schools in the area receiving the solar system. The combined savings to the diocese is expected to be $215,000 this year.

Before this project, Mary Queen of Angels incorporated recycling bins in each of the classrooms last year and began recycling paper in large scale through a deal with Abitibi Recycling. Bagwell also pointed out the school bought all environmentally friendly paint last year.

“We spent a little extra money, but it’s better for the environment,” she said.

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