Tracking Array: Background

In August of 2009, Energy Works Michigan offered grants to Michigan schools for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The EARTH Club of West Bloomfield High School was very eager to take action.

West Bloomfield Schools had already taken a great deal of energy efficiency measures, in part due to the work of Physics classes at West Bloomfield High School which completed an energy audit of the high school building in 2003. Because of these energy efficiency measures, WBHS qualified for and won a Renewable Energy Grant from Energy Works. Energy Works was offering static 2-kilowatt systems, but the EARTH Club wanted to make more of a splash and create more “buzz” with a tracking system&mdashone that moved to follow the sun. The problem was that a tracking system, especially one that would be one and a half times larger than the static systems being offered, would cost a whole lot more money.

In December of 2009, members of the EARTH Club Executive Board negotiated with Energy Works Michigan to get funding for their ideal system, but this necessitated that the EARTH Club not only obtain a seed grant from the Mel Barclay Energy Education Fund, but also raise over $15,000 in addition to this grant amount. This money was raised through many different mechanisms, including:

• Fair Trade Coffee sales
• Abitibi Recycling for $ program
• Organic Bake Sale
• ChicoBag (reusable grocery bags) sale
• Restaurant Fundraisers
• Earth Fair Dunk Tank
• WBHS Senior Class donations
• Engraved Paver Sale

The engraved paver sale pulled in most of the money needed: over $17,000 was raised in addition to the grants received. In total, over $45,000 in grants and components were amassed to construct the array.

Construction on the array started in November of 2010, and the array was completed in February 2011.