Solar panels serve dual purpose
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The solar panels that sit atop a building inside Srinakharinwirot University's Prasarnmit elementary demonstration school are not just there to generate electricity; they also serve as the Clean Energy Technology Learning Centre for young students.
“I didn’t know how sunlight could be transformed into energy until I stepped into this centre,” said Pimlada Kliangjan, a Prathom 5 student.
Her classmate, Jidapa Pakdeechote, said she was very excited to see and touch the solar panels.
“I used to be really afraid of solar panels, like I thought we couldn’t touch or get exposed to them. But thanks to the centre, I’ve found out the truth,” she said.
She was also excited about the possibility of storing solar power for use.
The school’s director, Assoc Prof Sukumarn Kasemsuk, said |the Clean Energy Technology Learning Centre was set up to let |students learn more about science and the environment.
Parts of the centre are based on Bangchak Petroleum’s Bangchak Renewable Energy Learning Centre, which has installed more than 150,000 solar panels in Ayutthaya.
“Solar panels at our school can produce five kilowatts,” she said.
“Via this centre, we can make our students aware that there are many alternative energy sources in this world. We can get |energy from sunlight, wind and water, too.”
Sarinrat Veeranetinun, head of the school’s science department, said students came to the centre and learned how solar power could reduce costs and environmental impacts.
“But we have taught our students that even if electricity comes from solar panels, they should save it where possible,” she said.
