June 19, 2008
The News-Review
Tim Gannon

Kids Eye Sun-Powered Boat

Greenport project still must raise $2,200

News-Review photo by Barbaraellen Koch Riverhead High School science teacher Bob Jester (second from right) with students in his research apprenticeship class (from left) Carl Kendrick, Heather Rouse, Meghan Davis, Sean Harkin and Bria Yazic.

One thing has led to another for students in Riverhead High School science teacher Bob Jester's research apprenticeship class.
The students are now hoping to turn an electric boat in Greenport into a satellite learning center and to install solar panels that could not only power the boat, but also generate additional power that would go back into the village electrical grid.

They've got the support of the boat's owners and they even made a presentation on their proposal before the Greenport Village Board earlier this year.

And three of the students recently won some money in a environmental competition that they plan to put back into the project.

At the beginning of this school year, the students were looking into alternative energy when Mr. Jester mentioned the boat, Glory, an electric-powered boat in his hometown of Greenport that produces no carbon dioxide emissions. It's the only environmentally friendly boat in New York State that is Coast Guard certified to carry passengers, according to Dave Berson, who owns the boat along with Andrew Rowsom.

The kids eventually saw the boat and soon were talking about powering it with photovoltaics, or solar power.

Currently, the boat plugs into the Greenport Village electric system. They brought their proposal, to investigate the possibility of powering the boat with solar power and returning any surplus to the village electrical grid, to the Greenport Village Board earlier this year.

Now the students are actually looking to carry out that plan.

"The power generated by the solar panels would go into the power grid, and when Dave [Berson] wants to use it, he takes it out; and any excess energy he doesn't use can go to homeowners and anyone else using electricity in the village," freshman Sean Harkin explained.

"The board loved the project," Greenport Mayor Dave Nyce said. "They were asking for support and we gave them moral support and said we would work on what we could do financially."

He said the village is working on allowing net metering, whereby energy could be generated by solar power and put back into the village power system.

"The village is very excited about this. It's a really cool project," Mr. Nyce said.

Three of the students, Meghan Davis, Carl Kendrick and Heather Rouse, all freshmen, recently won prize money from the Direct Action Environmental Competition sponsored by Emil Norsic, Hampton Jitney and Bridgehampton National Bank.

"We had to create a storyboard for a short public service announcement that would discuss an environmental topic of our choice," Meghan said.

Riverhead High School had more students in the competition that any other district, and Meghan finished second, winning $3,000, of which she gets to keep half, with the other half going to the school. Heather and Carl tied for third, and they each got $250, with $500 going to the school.

Meghan's project dealt with overdevelopment on Long Island; Heather's was about teaching young people about environmental issues, Carl's was about the pollution caused by plastic bottles.

The students had a say in how the school's half of their prize money will be spent, and they decided to put it toward the research project with Glory.

"We're hoping to develop a satellite learning center in Greenport," Mr. Jester said. "Hopefully, we'll be using photovoltaics to charge the battery on the electric boat. But the students also would be able to measure, every day, how much energy is going into the net metering system and how much is being withdrawn, so they can analyze the efficiency of the photovoltaics based on things like the time of year, the temperature, and so on."

They also would be able to check these numbers remotely from anywhere via computer, Mr. Jester said.

The inverter, which would be installed by Go Solar of Aquebogue, would have that capability, he said.

"We hope to be able to put this on the school Web site so anyone with a computer could access this information," Mr. Jester said. "It could be our own personal classroom."

For his part, Mr. Berson said that whatever energy savings he gets from the solar power will be donated back to the research class. It's not likely to be a big number, he said, because the electric boat uses less than $100 in electricity per year.

"We're not looking to save $100," Mr. Berson said. "We're looking for an opportunity to assist in this project. These are the kinds of kids I wish I could have been in high school. They're enthusiastic, smart and self-effacing, and I'm just delighted they would spend any time with me. I'm very impressed with them."

Mr. Berson, who has known Mr. Jester for many years, added, "My respect for this man is overwhelming."

The project is something that could influence others, Mr. Berson said.

"These kids could put something in place now that will be a legacy program for kids behind them," he said. "If this gets going, there will be so much attention drawn to what this is. I can't think of anywhere on Long Island where somebody is doing something like this."

Then there's the third part of the project. The students decided that whatever money generated from the savings Glory's owners donate back to the project should go toward another project, one proposed by junior Bria Yazic.

"I proposed to start a recycling program in the school, which they don't have now," Bria said. "I went through a couple of garbage cans the other day and there was a lot of perfectly good paper in them. I thought, we should recycle paper next year."

The money the project gets from Glory's savings on electricity could be used to buy recycling bins, she said. She proposes having separate bins for paper, plastic and cans.

Mr. Jester said about $2,200 is still needed for the solar-panel project.

"I'm just hoping I get a call from some interested company or somebody saying we've got the additional money you need," he said.

They also need approval from the Greenport Village Board as well as a place to install the solar panels.

Mr. Jester said he has nothing but praise for his students. "I've never worked with a group of kids in all my life who had a harder project and better success at it," he said.