Published: April 23, 2008 07:31 am         

On the bright side: Students learn about solar water

By Mark Boshnack
Staff Writer

SIDNEY _ The future looks bright for Sidney High School science students wanting to learn more about a cutting- edge technology.

Thanks to equipment donated by Silicon Solar of Bainbridge, students are learning how to use an on-demand solar hot water system. Some students learned how to put the unit together while others tested the efficiency of solar heating and finding it impressive.

By using the equipment, students will learn about how solar power can help with sustainable living, said biology teacher Todd Paternoster, who originally contacted the company about the system.

He was working Tuesday with 11th-grade environmental science teacher Jay Waltz.

“It’s pretty cool how our school is getting into it and experimenting with it,” said student Christina Romano.

She checked the temperature on the storage tank and found it was heated to about 190 degrees Fahrenheit by the evacuated tubes that catch the sun’s rays.

“I was surprised how hot it was,” she said. Using a thermometer, Dakota VanValkenburgh found that the water that entered the system through a garden hose at about 60 degrees came out at about 150 degrees.

“It was really something,” he said about how hot the water was. “I didn’t think you could heat water with solar energy.”

Waltz said he would like to see the system developed to heat greenhouses or barns. Dairy farmers use a lot of hot water, he said, and although it wouldn’t replace a conventional hot water heater, it could supplement it.

Science teachers at the school are developing a solar club that will involve students in all departments working with the technology, Paternoster said.

Matt Brown, a sales manager with Silicon, said the unit has a value of about $1,000.

It was donated because both of the owners, brothers Matt and Adam Farrell, are graduates of Sidney High School, as are many of the company’s employees. Many of them have relatives at the school, Brown said.

Paternoster said he is resigning effective July 1 at Sidney, after a 10-year teaching career, and will join the company to develop educational programs around the country.

He wants to devote his attention to sustainable living, he said.