In an afternoon press conference today in the Thaddeus Fairbanks Science Wing at Lyndon State College, Senator Bernie Sanders announced a US Dept. of Energy grant to the college in the amount of $32,500. The grant will be used to support the building and installation of a 5 kilowatt solar array on the Lyndon campus. The cost of the project is projected to be about $50,000 and will be undertaken by students in the college’s Sustainability Studies program under the direction of Professor Ben Luce.
In his presentation to students and the press, Sen. Sanders discussed the need to address global warming and greenhouse gasses and the benefits of becoming energy independent. He sees an enormous potential for solar power, from small homeowner installations to larger arrays.
Sen. Sanders believes that projects like the one at Lyndon will serve as models for others in the surrounding area, prompting more experimentation with green energy. “This is the future,” he said.
Source: Sanders' office. 11.11.2009