Pace Classroom Converts to Solar Power

A former cottage on the campus has been equipped with solar panels, with the help of a $15,000 grant provided by Con Edison.

“The solar classroom at Pace University will help us spread our message about the environmental and economic benefits of solar power,” said Frances A. Resheske, Con Edison’s senior vice president for public affairs, in a statement. “The incentives government agencies are offering make this a great time for customers to consider whether they can cut their energy bills by using solar energy.”

The new classroom was unveiled last week.

The panels installed are able to charge batteries that bring power to the classroom, up to 1.5 kilowatts of electricity.

The conversion was designed by William Misicka, a student in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences’ Environmental Studies program.

Currently, about 300-400 Pace University and local high school high school students, along with visitors, use the classroom—part of the Environmental Center—annually.

The now solar-powered building is a renovated cottage that will now "serve as a real-life model that shows solar power as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, complementing environmental science curriculum at Pace," according to a statement from the university.