The science behind solar(太阳的) energy is not new. But Sheridan Community Schools is thefirst school district in Indiana to be completely solar-powered. The district finished installing solarpanels(太阳能板) for all three of its schools in Some of the panels can turn to fallow thesun across the sky. 

Sheridan’s solar push is part of a trend. In 2008, fewer than 1,000 schools used solar power.By 2014, there were 3,727 schools with solar panels in the US. This data comes from a report bythe Solar Foundation, an organization that promotes the use of solar power Roxie Brown, aprogram director there, says that the number of schools with solar panels has continued to risesince 2014. 

(77) Solar power has some obvious advantage over other energy sources. Sunlight is arenewable(可再生的) resource, which means it won’t run out. Solar panels don’t harm theenvironment. Also sunlight is free. So by using solar power, schools can save money on energycosts over time.But switchingto solar power isn’t always easy Solar panelscan be expensive to install.Sheridan Community Schools had to borrow money to pay for its solar transition. (78)The panelsalso take up space. 

But for many schools, going solar is worth is.The use of solar energy can also help students learn about electricity and environmentalissues. Teacher at schools that use solar power often incorporate it into their science lessons. Thekids talk about it in the classroom. Then they can look at it in action.