Canadian Solar Inc. (the “Company”, or “Canadian Solar”) (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world’s largest solar companies, today announced that it has donated PV modules to the Brian D. Robertson Foundation’s Memorial Solar Schools Fund. The donated photovoltaic (PV) modules will be installed on four schools, one located in Maryland and three in Ohio.
- The Crossroads School, Baltimore, MD: Established to serve disadvantaged inner-city youth, The Crossroads School is one of the first charter schools in the state of Maryland and a top performing middle school in the City of Baltimore. Situated on the Living Classrooms East Harbor Campus, Crossroads plans to utilize the PV panels to help the school maximize its energy savings and leverage the installation to integrate solar energy into its academic curriculum.
- C-TEC High School, Newark, OH: A technical high school located 30 miles east of Columbus, C-TEC will use the panels on a zero-energy home being built on campus. The home will serve as a teaching tool for students interested in learning about zero-energy building practices and will support the school’s Electrical Trades (ELI), Building Trades (BT), Architectural & Engineering Design (AED) and Welding & Sheet Metal Layout (WLD) programs. In addition to the panels on the roof one panel is being donated to the classroom to be used as a teaching tool for solar electricity. The Foundation for Environmental Education and the Electrical Trades Center Local 683 (IBEW) are partners in the project as well. One panel is being donated to the classroom to be used as a teaching tool for solar electricity.
- Colonial Hills Elementary and Linworth Alternative High School, Worthington, Ohio. The Worthington, OhioSchool District is home to one of the first solar school projects in the U.S., at Bluffsview Elementary, which was also the first school in American Electric Power’s Learning from Light Solar School Initiative. Today, there are solar panels on 4 different schools in the Worthington School District. Canadian Solar panels are being donated to two additional schools, Colonial Hills Elementary and Linworth Alternative High School. Both Colonial Hills and Linworth Alternative have received local donations to help fund the solar projects being planned for each site. The district will continue to maintain energy efficient buildings throughout all of its schools and their energy team includes the Ohio Energy Project, a non profit affiliate of the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED.org). The Worthington School District recently learned that eleven of its facilities have earned the EPA Energy Star Award. 90 percent of students in the district move on to higher education, and 80 percent of its teachers hold a master’s degree or higher.
A joint venture with The Solar Foundation, the Brian D. Robertson Memorial Solar Schools Fund is based on Robertson’s “20/20 Vision of Solar in America™,” which aims to oversee the installation of 20,000 solar energy systems at K-12 schools throughout the United States by 2020.
“As we continue to build towards the fulfillment of Brian Robertson’s solar schools vision, we are humbled by the generosity of partners like Canadian Solar,” said Jigar Shah, founder and former CEO of Sun Edison. Brian’s widow Eileen, chairman of the Brian D. Robertson Memorial Solar Schools Fund, added “Brian saw education as the foundation for developing a clean energy economy and strengthening our nation’s future. Schools face rising energy costs and an uncertain climate for state and national education funding. So beyond the environmental and social benefits, going solar can help schools reduce energy costs therefore saving budgets for teachers and student programs.”
An entrepreneur and solar pioneer who co-founded SunEdison, Brian Robertson was killed in a plane crash in December of 2011 while serving as CEO of Amonix, Inc. The foundation was established to achieve Robertson’s vision of putting solar electricity within reach of millions of students across the country.
“We are honored to do our part in helping the Solar Schools Fund fulfill Brian Robertson’s vision for a clean energy economy rooted in solar-powered schools,” said Shawn Qu, Chairman, President and CEO of Canadian Solar. “Solar philanthropy can provide others with a very rewarding experience as it empowers people to be both community-minded and self-sufficient. Canadian Solar is committed to do everything possible to support a brighter future for generations to come.”
