This guide provides educators with the steps to build a solar-powered greenhouse on school campuses and tips for creating hands-on learning experiences that combine plant science with renewable energy.
By integrating a solar-powered greenhouse into a school’s curriculum, educators can give students a practical understanding of how plants grow and how clean energy works. This project supports subjects like biology, environmental science, and technology, allowing students to see the direct impact of sustainable practices.
The guide contains instructions on how to set up the greenhouse, incorporate solar technology, engage students in various activities, and funding opportunities. This guide aims to make the process as smooth as possible, so educators can focus on teaching and inspiring students about the benefits of renewable energy.
Grade Level: K-12
Content: Environmental Science, Plant Science
About the Authors
Trey Nichols and Shavon Via, teachers from Winston-Salem Forsyth Schools and Alamance-Burlington Schools, respectively, completed their summer industry immersion at Alamance Community College. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality supported their fellowship. They are among 32 North Carolina K-12 teachers in a four-year program introducing students to clean energy careers. The fellowships aim to boost students’ STEM education and develop workplace skills.
- Planning the Project
- Solar Set Up
- Solar Parts List
- Potential Uses for Schools
- Tips for aligning NC standards
- Tips for aligning NC standards
- Funding your Project
Planning the Project
- Determine the size of your greenhouse
- Survey a suitable area for your greenhouse
- Determine the load needed for the renewable energy system
- Get ALL quotes in for your greenhouse
- Establish a timeline for when you see the greenhouse built
- Start applying for grants and funding
- Create an inventory of what you need to order and when it will be delivered
- Once you receive your funds for your grants it is optimal to order ALL supplies together
- Find volunteers for building your product
Solar Set Up
- Run a heat/cool load on the greenhouse to calculate the size of equipment.
- Determine the amount of heat required to maintain a 50°F temperature inside a 20′ x 30′ greenhouse.
- The recommended heat is 30,504 BTU.
- The recommended capacity is DFS 36,000 btu.
Solar Parts List
- Weize 12V 100ah Lithium Ion Phosphate batteries (12)
- Solar combiner boxes (3)
- Solar Inverter Charger (1)
- 1600 Watt Panel (4)
- 3 Ton Ductless Mini split
- Single-zone mini-split heat pump system
- 15’ Three Ton Ductless Mini-Split Line Set
- Inner Drain Hose
- 25’ stranded Ductless Mini-Split communication Wire
- Telescoping Wall Sleeve
- String PV Combiner Solar Connectors (4)
Potential Uses for Schools
- Butterfly house for 2nd grade
- Hydroponics
- Edible schoolyard for lower-income areas
- Seedling house
- Farmbot for integrating technology with agriculture
- Raised beds for exotic plants you cannot have in our climate zone
- Read walk
Tips for aligning NC standards
Kindergarten
K.L.1.2 Compare characteristics of living and nonliving things in terms of their:
- Structure
- Changes
- Movement
- Basic needs
Tips for aligning NC standards
1st Grade
1.E.2.1 Summarize the physical properties of Earth materials, including rocks, minerals, soils and water that make them useful in different ways.
1.E.2.2 Compare the properties of soil samples from different places relating to their capacity to retain water, nourish, and support the growth of certain plants.
1.L.1.1 Recognize that plants and animals need air, water, light (plants only), space, food, and shelter and that these may be found in their environment.
1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
1.L.1.3 Summarize ways that humans protect their environment and/or improve conditions for the growth of the plants and animals that live there (e.g., reuse or recycle products to avoid littering).
1.L.2.1 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different plants (including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and growth.
1.L.2.2 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different animals (including air, water, and food) for energy and growth
2nd Grade
2.L.2.1 Identify ways in which many plants and animals closely
resemble their parents in observed appearance and ways they are different.
2.L.2.2 Recognize that there is variation among individuals that are related.
2.E.1.1 Summarize how energy from the sun serves as a source of light that warms the land, air and water.
2.L.1.1 Summarize the life cycle of animals:
- Birth
- Developing into an adult
- Reproducing
- Aging and death
2.L.1.2 Compare life cycles of different animals such as, but not limited to, mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs.
3rd Grade
3.L.2.1 Remember the function of the following structures as it relates to the survival of plants in their environments:
- Roots – absorb nutrients
- Stems – provide support
- Leaves – synthesize food
- Flowers – attract pollinators and produce seeds for reproduction
3.L.2.2 Explain how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow.
3.L.2.3 Summarize the distinct stages of the life cycle of seed plants.
3.L.2.4 Explain how the basic properties (texture and capacity to hold water) and components (sand, clay and humus) of soil determine the ability of soil to support the growth and survival of many plants.
4th Grade
4.L.1.1 Give examples of changes in an organism’s environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful.
4.L.1.2 Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.
4.L1.3 Explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats (e.g., recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting trees and shrubs to prevent flooding and erosion).
5th Grade
5.L.2.1 Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems,including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands.
5.L.2.2 Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or decomposers (biotic factors).
5.L.2.3 Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem.
5.L.3.1 Explain why organisms differ from or are similar to their parents based on the characteristics of the organism.
5.L.3.2 Give examples of likenesses that are inherited and some that are not.
Funding your Project
North Carolina Farm Bureau Ag in the classroom “Going local grant”
North Carolina Farm Bureau is happy to provide agricultural outreach grants to North Carolina teachers through our Ag in the Classroom . . . Going Local program. These grants are valued up to $500.
Going Local Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate-level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry and the NC Standard Course of Study. Teachers practicing in private and public North Carolina schools, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply.
https://www.ncfb.org/ag-in-the-classroom/grants-awards/
AgSouth Farm Credit
The AgSouth Growing Our Communities Grant’s mission is to build strong partnerships and alliances, leveraging the resources within our grant program to preserve and promote the farmer, the family, and our communities. The grant has three main objectives: Grant value up to $5000
- Invest in the future of agriculture.
- Enhance and impact the quality of life in the AgSouth territory.
- Be recognized as a leading corporate citizen in the AgSouth territory.
- https://www.agsouthfc.com/outreach/community-support/agsouth-growing-our-communities-grant
Donors Choose
We make it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.https://secure.donorschoose.org/teacher/teacher.html?
Go Outside Grant
The “Go Outside” grant for standard on-campus structure applied is one of many grants featured on this website that can fulfill the many needs of getting students outside to immerse themselves in science. This grant maxes out at $15,000 which is a great starting point for starting your very own greenhouse.
https://gooutside.nc.gov/go-grants/apply/
Governor’s Educator Discovery Award
The Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is a professional development stipend of up to $1,000 awarded to educators across the state. All North Carolina PreK-12 school teachers in traditional public or public charter schools are eligible to apply.
https://www.experiencemorenc.com/educator-discovery-award
Burroughs Wellcome Fund
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s grantmaking strategies support biomedical scientists at the beginning of their careers and areas of science that are poised for significant advancement but are currently undervalued and underfunded.
BWF has programs that support primary and secondary students, science and mathematics teachers, institutions, and academic scientists: postdoctoral-faculty bridging awards and faculty awards.https://www.bwfund.org/funding-opportunities/