WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) _ Solar panels installed at seven Waukegan public schools are now generating power.
The Chicago Tribune reports the nearly 2,200 rooftop panels are up and running this week.
Final touches are being made on monitors for each school’s lobby showing how energy is generated.
The panels can generate up to 681 kilowatts of energy _ enough energy to power 540 homes.
A New Jersey-based firm called NRG Energy donated the design, engineering work, equipment and installation for the project.
The company’s spokesman says the panels will offset between 18 and 36 percent of the district’s energy costs.
That could translate into $50,000 in savings each year.
