Harnessing the sun's power to reduce electricity bills at Ohlone Elementary School is just one example
of the ongoing partnership between the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) and the Palo Alto Unified
School District (PAUSD). CPAU helped Ohlone successfully write a State of California grant proposal for
a photovoltaic system (PV) to generate electricity for the school. Sited at the school's organic farm, the
one-kilowatt (1,000 watt) PV system was installed by contractor-assisted volunteers on March 19. The
new system will lower the school's overall electric bill while it provides students with a "living lab" of
solar technology. CPAU has also provided training to Ohlone teachers and students on how to collect
and analyze data on the operation of the PV system. This information will be collected on an ongoing
basis by the students and then be used in classroom instruction on solar energy and environmental
sustainability and posted online (on the Solar Schoolhouse website) to share & compare with other schools.
[Volunteers David Coale and Lindsay Joye raise a Solar (PV) panel at Ohlone in photo below]

Ohlone is the second Palo Alto school to generate renewable electricity from the sun. Gunn High School
received a grant in 1999 from the City of Palo Alto Utilities' Photovoltaic Demonstration Program. Gunn
installed a 5-kilowatt (5,000 watt) photovoltaic system [pictured below] which has been providing power to high school
for about 2 years. CPAU is also working with the Gunn High School administration to provide a series of
solar workshops for teachers and obtaining solar demonstration kits to be used in classrooms.
[via Rahus Institute's Solar Schoolhouse Program]

source: CPAU city mgr memo 2002.04.05