A school in Galway and one in Cork have won the inaugural Schools Sustainability Project competition organised by SSE Airtricity and Microsoft Ireland.
The initiative aims to create awareness among primary and post-primary students about renewable energy, sustainability and biodiversity, and technology and innovation.
SSE Airtricity and Microsoft partner for a renewable energy scheme that encourages schools to power classrooms using energy generated from the school roof.
To date internet-connected solar panels have been installed in 29 schools, which are connected via Azure IoT to Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform.
Following the installations, the companies committed to the delivery of an education programme, which takes the form of the sustainability competition.
The competition winners are St Augustine’s National School, Clontuskert, Co Galway and Kinsale Community School, Co Cork.
St Augustine’s undertook a series of activities to improve the environment including installing a bug hotel to increase biodiversity; installing an environmentally friendly sewage treatment plant; and petitioning to change waste management symbols in Ireland.
Students from Kinsale Community School undertook a Save the Bees initiative, planting a biodiversity orchard and a hedgerow in their school to provide food for bees and other pollinators, and fruit for birds. Each school has received a sustainability grant of €2,500 from Microsoft, with each participating student receiving a tablet computer from the SSE Airtricity eStore.
In Association with
Airtricity head of business development Fergal Ahern said: “Providing renewable energy solutions is in our DNA. We are delighted to partner with Microsoft on this competition that engages primary and post-primary students and gets them thinking about the impact they can make on the environment while helping them to develop and implement sustainable options for their schools.”
Digital screens were installed to show the school’s energy use in real time, allowing students to see the impact of the energy efficiency upgrades and helping them and the wider school community to better understand their consumption and how they can become more energy efficient, while also further reducing their emissions.
Photo: Fergal Ahern (right) and Richard Ryan from Microsoft with St Augustine's students. (Pic: Robbie Reynolds)
