Delcastle High School now has four electric vehicle charging stations for faculty and staff and students helped bring it all together.
Electrical instructor Bryan Bryant says it started with a math teacher who needed a place to plug in her car. Bryant says it turned into an opportunity for students across several trades to learn a new and emerging skillset.
“And then getting it on the network, that’s another thing that our students can continue to learn," Bryant says. "They can monitor who is charging, how much fossil fuels you’re saving, how much emissions are not going back into the air, and we also have a mock setup here that we can train our future electricians on.”
Electrical instructor Chris Panico says the project brought students from several trades together, from planning to welding, to electrical.
“These kids are going to already have this instilled, they’re going to be valuable," Panico says. "Even starting as an apprentice, low on the totem pole, they’re already going to be at a higher level than anybody else and it shows.”
Panico says there are more jobs than workers in the electrical industry, adding that by 2050, the green sector is expected to have 21 million jobs.
“For them to be able to be at the forefront of this green energy is a great introduction for them," Panico says. "And it’s real. They put it together, it works, now people are charging their cars, they’re able to look at this every day.”
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control covered 90 percent of the cost of chargers. Delcastle also received a $3,000 grant from Green Energy and $3,000 worth of materials from Yale Electric Supply were donated.
