Solar as a Solution Solar Photovoltaic panels (PV) are a way to convert solar radiation into usable DC electricity. Solar radiation is radiant energy emitted by the sun. Photons are tiny packets of energy that travel millions of miles to earth and eventually collide with our solar PV modules. When they strike the PV cells their energy excites the electrons, creating usable DC electricity. The Energy Research Team is applying these concepts at DCMS by installing a 3.6 kilowatt solar PV array. Once the panels were installed on the roof, they were connected to the AC units. While the AC units were already the highest efficiency available they still tripled DCMS’s energy usage. The main goals of our project were to make DCMS more energy efficient by offsetting the grid usage and to also, demonstrate living sustainability can easily become common. SMALL ISLAND RESILIENCY STUDY: Energy Matters at the Local Level Deep Creek, Eleuthera, The Bahamas Ruby Bagwyn, Matthew Brown, Cecilia Compton, Martine Lavelle, Everett Moore, Cecelia Pilgrim Advisors: Bryan Carroll & Sarah Emrich Conclusion: The Bahamas is too reliable on diesel. Small Island Developing States still exclude alternative forms of energy. The goal is to set out to demonstrate that these alternatives are not out of reach for SIDs. To recap what the Energy Research Team did at the Deep Creek Middle School is they performed an energy audit to educate students and staff the reality of real time energy use in their classrooms. Then a baseline checklist was created for which the school and other buildings can measure energy conservation and sustainability. Lastly they installed air conditioning paired with a 3 kW solar array to cool the classrooms and do so without burning fossil fuels. Renewable energy is a symbol of sustainability, one of the three defining pillars of The Island School. Using what students have learned about sustainability we want to capitalize on the semester’s work, to catalyze the community and the country. Many small changes lead to one massive change. If all SIDS can see that solar is viable option for diesel, if even on a small-scale, this message can be spread wide. The community is proud that both The Island School and DCMS have taken steps towards a more sustainable future, and in doing so, demonstrating to the students and community members there is another way forward by thinking globally and acting locally. Energy Investigation The Energy Research Team began the improvement of DCMS’s sustainability by getting a better picture of their energy usage before and after the air conditioning was installed (AC). First, the team analyzed historical energy bills from 2016. From analyzing this, it was concluded that each month, Room 1, 2 and 3 used approximately 350 kWh, 50 kWh and 125 kWh respectively, as can be seen on Graph 1. The team then started collaborating with the DCMS Grade 8 students to collect data for after the AC was installed. This allowed the students to get directly involved with the project and get a first hand look at the energy they’re consuming as a school. The students collected data from their school’s energy meter every day, which allowed the team to have a daily record of energy usage. After analyzing this data, it was concluded that after the AC was installed there was a drastic increase in energy usage, Room 1, 2 and 3 usage to approximately 40kWh, 25 kWh and 23 kWh respectively, as can be seen on Graph 2. Graph 1 shows the historical electrical bills compared to a bill post AC. This increase in energy usage was expected, due to the high energy demand of the air condition systems. However, the solar panel array that the team installed is designed specifically to offset this usage. Energy in the Bahamas The Bahamas is near totally reliant on imported foreign diesel (Bahamas National Energy Policy). Diesel is refined from crude oil, which is a naturally occurring mineral oil that can be refined into various fuels and other petroleum-