DENVER - At East High School, Michael Hernandez is trying to teach students about being environmental. He's run the Green Club for three years and has been waiting for announcement like this for a long time.
"I really think this is kind of a first step towards really moving this building into a sustainable direction," said Hernandez, social studies teacher at East High School.
Wednesday afternoon, Mayor John Hickenlooper announced a partnership between the city and Denver Public Schools to place solar panels on 10 city buildings and 16 schools.
"It allows us to put more money into teachers," said Hickenlooper. "Being smarter about the resources we have and finding ways to maximize them is going to be a big part of that situation."
Power companies will place $600,000 in 100-kilowatt solar panels on the roofs of these buildings to generate enough energy to power 20 houses over a year. The taxpayers will not have to pay any money upfront for this. The power companies will recoup their costs over the years by selling electricity generated from the panels back to the schools and the city.
In the end, DPS leaders say it will reduce energy costs by up to 40 percent at each building.
"Any money that we can save for Denver Public Schools is a plus," said Hernandez.
The district is currently in negotiations to have solar panels installed at 24 more schools over the next two years.
"And, it's just a great example of our dedication to go green, to save green," said Tom Boasberg, superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
In the initial phase of installments, solar panels will be installed starting this spring.
"That's going to be the direction that we have to move in as a society," said Hernandez. "It's a good project and it's a great learning opportunity for the students."
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