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Middle Schooler coordinates Humane Society Solar Array
Dustin Michel, then 12, needed a com- munity service project for his bar mitzvah. a seventh-grader at Platt Middle school in Boulder, Colo., he was impressed
by solar power. so in november 2007, he put
together a PowerPoint presentation, proposing to organize grants to equip the humane
society of Boulder Valley with a photovoltaic
system. The result: in May, the humane society turned on a 6.3-kilowatt awning-style array
installed by namaste solar ( namastesolar.com).
The system is expected to save the shelter $776
in electric bills this year, rising to $1,264 annually in 10 years — all at no cost to the society.
Michel brought the shelter together with namaste
and its philanthropic partner, the Center for
resource Conservation (conservationcenter.
org), leveraging anonymous grant money with
Xcel energy’s solar*rewards rebate program
( xcelenergy.com) to cover the cost of the system.
— SETh MASi A
NAMAS Te SOLAr
