This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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After studying energy sources in their fourth grade classroom, Aaron Sebens -- a teacher at Central Park School for Children -- and his students decided to go off the grid. Or, at least part of the way off the grid. Using a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, they turned their idea to power their classroom with solar panels into reality.
All told, the Durham, North Carolina class raised more than $5,000 to fund their plans to install enough solar panels and small battery storage to power their classroom. They took their classroom off the grid. Today, this group of problem solvers and their teacher can proudly watch their idea making a difference. And, they can tell you a thing or two about AC vs. DC at the same time...