Three rural schools in Gerlach are going green, thanks to solar panels and assistance from various private and public entities.
A photovoltaic solar power system was installed Tuesday and is expected to generate up to 162,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually for the next 25 years.
The Washoe County School District estimates the savings over that time at nearly a half-million dollars.
The project was a collaboration between Sierra Pacific Power Co., organizers of the annual Burning Man event, MMA Renewable Ventures, SCHOTT Solar and school district.
The SCHOTT Solar panels were installed at no charge to the school district through a combination of donated labor and materials and Sierra Pacific's SolarGenerations rebate program.