WWW.CLEANENERGYRESOURCETEAMS.ORG

helping Minnesota communities determine

their energy future

CASE STUDY: SOLAR – WEST CENTRAL REGION

It Takes a Community: The New London Little Theater Solar Thermal ProjectBy Michelle Vigen, CERTs Campaign & Metrics Coordinator • July 2010

On a cool day in November 2009, Teresa Copley, theNew London Middle School’s Youth Energy Summit(YES!) Team Coordinator, contacted John Duevel.YES! had been working with the New London LittleTheatre to improve its energy efficiency, and nowthe students were interested in helping the Theaterdo a solar project. The Little Theatre is owned andoperated by a nonprofit organization, the CrowRiver Players, who are dedicated to high-qualitycommunity theater and preservation of their historicbuilding.

As John and Teresa discussed the potential studentproject and the theater’s needs, a community solarproject started to become a reality. John tells thestory: “Teresa asked me to make a quick assessmentof the value of a solar collector on the building. Istopped by on a cool 10 degree morning to observethe gas usage for heating the building. I watchedthat gas meter to get an idea of actual gas consumption—it was really turning, and the gasconsumption was impressive.”

The south-facing side of the Little Theater overlooksa central parking area that is used by several businesses, the American Legion, and the local bank.They decided that placement of solar panels alongthis side would be ideal, both for solar exposure andcommunity engagement.

As a next step, Teresa invited John to make a presentation about solar to the YES! team. The classof 8th graders were prepared—having researchedsolar thermal—and were very attentive and interested in learning about the technology sincethey knew they’d get to apply their knowledge to anactual project. John joined the students during a fewmore additional meetings during their class timewhere they developed the need, worked on solutions and design, and thought about possiblefunding avenues.

After the planning and design were completed, Johninvited the students to be involved in a construction

day where they actually helped build part of the system. Students got to see the different parts of thesolar panels and assist John in putting it all together.By March, both John and the YES! team were readyfor installation.

Over the course of two weeks in April, John Duevel,alongside students from the YES! team, installed aseries of solar thermal panels. Installation was a“town square” happening in the New London community. Folks stopped in the parking lot to ask

Project Snapshot

Purpose: Engage youth and community in process ofinstalling solar air heating panels

Technology: Solar-Powered Air Heating

Grant:$5,000 West Central CERT with additional support from New London, the DAM Club, Lions Club, and Southwest Initiative Foundation

Total Cost: $14,000

John Duevel building solar hot air panels with students

CERTs PARTNERS

University of Minnesota’sRegional SustainableDevelopmentPartnerships

The Green Institute

Southwest RegionalDevelopmentCommission

The Minnesota Project

Office of EnergySecurity, MinnesotaDepartment ofCommerce

CERTs FUNDERS

Office of EnergySecurity, MinnesotaDepartment ofCommerce

The Bush Foundation

Environment & NaturalResource Trust Fund

U.S. Department ofEnergy

questions, past YES! team members came by to check up on the project, and the mayor cameby and invited the YES! team to a council meeting to discuss working on other buildings intown.

John and the students finished the installation of the panels in time for the team's celebration of Earth Day on April 22. The YES! team did an outdoor local foods pancakebreakfast, they showed a slideshow presentation, and they had live music inside the theatre.John was on site to answer questions about the panels.

A community project of this scale requires the hard work and dedication of individual leaders in the community. Teresa describes the unique impact of John Duevel as an installerand mentor: “John is amazing with students. He listens, lets them own an idea. John isknowledgeable about energy; a practical and a skilled contractor. Not only was he was veryenergetic about the project, but worked around the school schedule and fit the project to thestudents’ skill level. The day in shop, he managed to give all students some hands-on lessons and kept them productive throughout, ending with a very nice finished product.The students were always free to ask questions and were treated with respect.”

John likewise notes Teresa’s and her students’ contributions: “I really was impressed withthe students, their mature interest, willingness to learn and question, and their work ethicwhen it came to really putting the solar covers together at the school shop. That is truly areflection of the atmosphere that must be present daily in Teresa’s classroom. This was not athrown together project; it was well orchestrated by Teresa. She gave it credibility, preparedthe students, allotted ample classroom time for my presentations, and kept everyoneinformed.”

As the New London Little Theater stands with its shiny new panels, John Duevel hasalready begun putting together some workshops in the summer and fall to talk about howothers can plan, design, and implement their own solar thermal system. The YES! team willbegin to look for more projects for the next school year, and the Little Theater is enjoyinggreatly reduced heating costs.

Teresa Copley notes how the CERTs grant helped leverage funds from her own community.“[The grant] made the project possible,” states Teresa. “It gave local organizations a purposeto donate when they could see that there was real money to make it happen.” In the end, inaddition to the in-kind contributions of John, Teresa, and Kay Slama (the community volunteer with the YES! team), the project received matching funds from the community.John worked with an architect who specializes in school building design, local contractors,and suppliers to develop the costs involved in the project. By designing his own, he wasable to provide a custom-built and cost-effective system, involving both the Little Theaterand the local YES! student team.

Clean energy projects require the inspiration and motivation to step out into the unknownand dream something different. They require the experienced technical knowledge of localcontractors, installers, and experts. They also require the joint financial support of variousorganizations and the local government. As the New London Little Theater project shows,engaging clean energy projects are possible, but they truly take a community effort.

To learn more about this project, please contact Teresa Copley at 320-354-2252 ext. 2451 or emailher at copleyt@nls.k12.mn.us.

Wrapping up installation of the solar hot air system

New London-Spicer YES! Team

Youth EnergySummit is made upof over 20 teams of8th-12th gradersacross southeast andwest central MN that work on energy actionprojects ranging from recycling to solar. Grantfunding is provided for outstanding projects.

Prior to researching, planning, and implementingsolar thermal panels on the Little Theater, theYES! team was instrumental in other energy efficiency strategies that helped the theaterreduce its electric energy use by almost 30%!

To learn more about YES! go to www.youthenergysummit.org.

facebook.com/cleanenergyresourceteams

www.twitter.com/mncerts youtube.com/mncerts flickr.com/photos/mncerts

FOLLOW CERTs

WWW.CLEANENERGYRESOURCETEAMS.ORG

Profile: Energy Expert John Duevel

John Duevel is a farmer, consultant, and expertin thermal efficiency, including the design, installation, and repair of solar systems. Johnowns and operates Three Season and More inWillmar, MN. He is passionate about passingalong his knowledge of solar thermal and is committed to working with communities.

“My entire goal has been to empower individu-als and communities to take advantage of thesun, to show that affordable, effective systemscan be built with off-the-shelf parts. ” - John