This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.
October 10, 2012
Increasing Solar Energy Awareness in El Paso
With nearly 300 sunny days a year, El Paso, Texas, is an ideal location for solar energy installations, which is why the city recently launched its first Renewable Energy Education Project using solar energy. Located in downtown El Paso's Calvary Man Triangle, the project's centerpiece—the Aztec Calendar Pavilion—is a domed-shaped public gathering and performance space made with a combination of steel, concrete, solar panels, light condensers, and crystal prisms. It incorporates Aztec designs, paying homage to the civilization’s impressive architectural accomplishments.
The pavilion provides four 110V AC solar-powered outlets where visitors can charge their electronic devices using clean solar energy. Excess solar energy will be fed back into the city’s power grid. Visitors to the pavilion will be able to have a unique educational experience learning how solar energy works and seeing a real-time digital readout displaying current energy usage statistics. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog.
