The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority hosted a tour of the Hogensborg Solar Farm -- St. Croix’s largest solar facility -- on July 8, welcoming more than 25 students from the Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls of the Virgin Islands summer camp for an immersive, engaging introduction to renewable energy.
Campers, ranging in age from 5 to 12, learned how the sun’s energy is harnessed through 48,210 panels to generate electricity for homes and businesses on St. Croix.
They also explored how a battery energy storage system helps store and supply power during low sunlight or at night.
The tour introduced CCBGVI campers to the growing importance of renewable energy in the territory, careers in the Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, and "highlighted why solar power is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuel-based generation," the public power utility noted.
As part of the hands-on STEM experience, students built their own personal solar ovens using pizza boxes, with support from several WAPA engineers and engineering interns.
"The activity reinforced key concepts of solar energy and heat transfer, showing how sunlight can be harnessed not just to power homes -- but even to cook food -- sparking curiosity and a deeper understanding of renewable energy in action," the utility said.
“Our goal is to introduce our campers to renewable energy and sustainability practices, while helping them understand the importance of innovation in meeting our territory’s energy needs,” said Takesia Martinez-Ortiz, Teacher, CCBGVI.
The solar farm tour is part of WAPA’s ongoing community engagement efforts to promote energy education, career exploration and sustainability awareness among the territory’s youth.
