Students Engage with Renewable Energy

Students at Lux and Scott middle schools are embracing their brand new solar panels through hands-on experiences this fall. 

Each school’s Green Team hosted engineers from Nelnet Renewable Energy for a club meeting focused on how solar panels harness the sun’s energy. Nelnet installed three new solar arrays on LPS campuses this year, more than doubling the district’s renewable energy portfolio.

These 25 kW installations are about more than just energy; each solar array also acts as an interactive learning tool that creates opportunities for students to engage with sustainability topics in classrooms and after-school clubs.

Lux and Scott students began by exploring the live dashboards and learning about the energy offsets and environmental benefits of the panels

Then they headed outside to adjust panel angles and discover optimal positioning strategies for collecting solar energy. They connected changes on the solar dashboard with the physical adjustments they made to the panels themselves. This hands-on approach allowed students to bridge classroom learning with real-world renewable energy applications.

Both groups took full advantage of their Q&A sessions with the Nelnet team, asking about environmental benefits, career opportunities, and the science and engineering behind how the panels are designed and constructed. 

Students from both schools plan to take leadership roles for managing the arrays in the future. They will continue to monitor and adjust the solar panels to maximize energy generation and environmental benefit. 

"All five district solar arrays give students a unique opportunity for real-world engagement with renewable energy."

Brittney Wees, LPS Sustainability Coordinator
Lux students learning how the solar panels work
Lux students learning how the solar panels work
Students at Scott learning about the solar panels
Students at Scott learning about the solar panels
Students at Scott with their solar panel
Students at Scott with their solar panel
Students at Lux learning about the solar panels
Students at Lux learning about the solar panels
Students at Scott adjusting the solar panels
Students at Scott adjusting the solar panels
Scott Middle School's array after student adjustments
Scott Middle School's array after student adjustments
Students at Lux take a closer look at the array's underside
Students at Lux take a closer look at the array's underside

The solar panels at LPS provide valuable, accessible resources for students to deepen their understanding of sustainability and environmental stewardship. The interactive nature of these installations allows students to explore not only the effects of renewable energy resources, but also how they work as they examine both the environmental impact and the innovation that makes solar technology possible. 

We are grateful for Nelnet Renewable Energy’s partnership in creating these engagement opportunities that empower students to envision how they can contribute to making our schools and communities cleaner and more sustainable.