The accompanying online article can be found here.

From that article, by Arizona Public Media reporter  Luis Carrión :

St. Gregory College Preparatory School will begin the new school year with an oversized addition: one of the largest solar arrays in any Tucson school, producing 140 kilowatts of energy. The project consists of more than 600 locally produced solar panels that will offset St. Gregory’s energy bill by a minimum of $1,000 a month.

Jonathan Martin, head of St. Gregory, says the project will not only offset dependency on the grid, it will also provide students with valuable opportunities to learn about an important sustainable energy source.

Young people care about the environment, Martin notes, and they are passionate about making changes that will benefit the planet and future generations.

“But they need more firsthand, concrete, tangible examples of how to make the change in the direction that they care about,” he says.

Martin says the school will develop math, science, and economic curricula around the various components of the installation.

“Our math instructor is already working with students on calculating carbon footprints,” he says. “Teaching our students to be responsible stewards of the planet is important, and this project allows us a firsthand look at some of the most advanced technology available.”

Joe Herrick works for Solar H2O and Electric, the company installing the locally manufactured solar panels. He says the school will lease the equipment from the Tucson company for 20 years at a fixed rate, with an expected savings of at least $220,000, making the project both economically and environmentally sound.