Project Manager Mickey Ingles and Director of Business Development, Eastern U.S., Cassandra Kling of WorldWater & Power Corp., developer and marketer of proprietary high-power solar systems, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new solar irrigation system at the Egg Harbor Township Arboretum in New Jersey.
Engineers from WorldWater & Power worked closely with students from the Eagle Academy to design and build the new solar facility. The new two-story building accommodates rooftop photovoltaic panels and a solar electric pumping system to irrigate the 15-acre arboretum grounds and supply water for drinking and for the restrooms within the building. The arboretum is considering adding a solar powered classroom to the site and is looking forward to further collaboration with WorldWater.
“WorldWater and their entire crew were integral in collaborating with our students to bring us an off-the-grid, self-contained solar powered system, a vital component for the development of the site,” said Bob Zentmeyer, supervisor of alternative education at the Eagle Academy. Founded in 1999 by the Egg Harbor Township School District, the Eagle Academy serves the needs of at-risk youth, those falling through the cracks of the conventional educational system and dropping out of school.
After the students worked on the building’s design with WorldWater, volunteer engineers prepared CAD drawings that conformed to building codes. WorldWater handled the installation and supervised students who built the braces for the solar panels and assembled the gravity-fed stand and tank for the solar unit. “Students got a taste of the technology, and it was a real eye-opener for them, an incredible resource of information from World Water & Power. The inspector from the state said he has never seen anything like it,” Zentmeyer added.
Egg Harbor Township, a municipality in southern New Jersey, donated the former trash dumpsite to the Egg Harbor Environmental Commission to provide open space for its 40,000 residents. In building the solar installation, Eagle Academy students also collaborated with the township’s planning board, environmental commission, the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Arboretum Enhancement Project is funded through a grant form the Geraldine Dodge Foundation.
Source: WorldWater & Power Corp.
