UE Students Plan Awareness Event for Powering Rosa-Bell Project

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University of Evansville ChangeLab students are planning an awareness event for their Powering Rosa-Bell project, which will provide solar panel-powered energy for the Rosa-Bell school in Puerto Rico. The event is Tuesday, December 11, at 5:00 p.m. in Room 100 in the Koch Center for Engineering and Science on UE’s campus. It is free and open to the public.

There will be food, prizes, a panel discussion, and trivia games focusing on climate change and the environment, alternative energy, and Puerto Rico. The students will also make presentations about their project, and there will also be an informal discussion of the recent fourth national climate report. 

Currently, electricity for the Rosa-Bell school comes from a standard power grid. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, the grid lost power causing the school to be out of session for several months. The goal of the Rosa-Bell Project is to raise the money needed to purchase materials for the installation of solar panels, so the school no longer relies on the power grid. It is estimated that electricity generated by solar panels would save the school approximately $5,000 a month. This money could go to new programs, new classroom supplies, and an overall improvement of the school for the students.Â