Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 30/04) - In February of 2002 Wade Carpenter thought Sir John Franklin High School would have a source of renewable energy within months.

Wade Carpenter spent two years setting up solar panels at Sir John Franklin High School. The panels, seen through the window, don't look impressive but are actually nine feet tall.

It took two years for the science teacher and his classes to get 16 solar panels up and running on Sir John's roof, but it was worth the wait.

"I like to think of about it as ground-breaking," said Carpenter at a ceremony recognizing the completion of the solar panel project.

"The thing that makes it unique is that it is grid-tied, no batteries at all," Carpenter said.

The solar panels are the first to be tied into Yellowknife's power grid, which will take any surplus electricity produced.

The 16 panels generate 130 watts of power each -- about two per cent of the school's energy needs.

Making the switch to solar power isn't cheap. Carpenter estimates the cost of Sir John's solar panels at $35,000, but most of it was donated by Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

The electrical work was provided free of charge by Ryfan Electric Ltd.

Bob Bromley, project director with Ecology North, says the cost of the solar panels is offset by the benefits. Sir John will save $450 a year in power bills, and provide educational and environmental benefits.

Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 390 kilograms a year, according to Carpenter.