Hawaii Pacific Solar’s educational grant program is intended to help students understand the relevance of solar energy and sustainability in their lives. Funds, up to $2,500, are awarded for projects in science, math, environment, social studies, industrial engineering, etc. Hawaii Pacific Solar has awarded more than $10,000 to schools to date.
Examples of grants include Aiea Elementary School for a “green engineering” project for fifth graders who built a solar oven out of recycled products using renewable energy (see photo), and Aiea High School for its aquaponics project using the PV system installed by HPS.
Another example is Lahainaluna High School for its sustainability project where students learned how to build a solar-powered charging station for portable electronic devices, small appliances such as air-conditioners and refrigerators and pumps for an aquaponic system.