Exact Solar Celebrates ASPIRA Charter School’s New Solar System with Ribbon-Cutting Event

On Friday, September 6th, Exact Solar hosted a ribbon-cutting event at ASPIRA Bilingual Cyber Charter School in Philadelphia to unveil a unique solar-powered initiative aimed at supporting STEM education and addressing food insecurity. The event showcased the solar system that now powers an aquaponic greenhouse and will soon power grow towers on ASPIRA's 35-acre campus.

The newly installed solar system, designed and installed by Exact Solar, provides electricity to ASPIRA's greenhouse, inside of which sits a large tilapia tank and several garden beds. The fish waste from the water tank fertilizes the plants, and the plants use that fertilizer to grow, filtering the water for the fish.

ASPIRA can now grow organic, soil-free produce year-round. The students not only cultivate vegetables but also prepare and serve them to staff and parents in an on-site "restaurant" and sell them in a monthly farmers market, receiving hands-on learning in sustainable urban agriculture and entrepreneurship.

Key attendees at the event included Pennsylvania Senator Anthony Bellmon, Congressman Brendan Boyle, and ASPIRA student leader Najara Walker, each delivering inspiring speeches about the importance of renewable energy in education. Congressman Boyle shared a personal connection to the event, as he attended school in the same building when it was a Catholic school in the '90s.

Najara Walker's speech was quite moving as it came from the student's perspective. She highlighted the impact of the solar system on both the environment and the school community: "What's amazing is we're not just growing plants and fish here; we're also reducing our carbon footprint."

The ribbon-cutting was also attended by representatives from several nonprofit partners, including Generation180, Solarize Philly, PennEnvironment, and the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA). Together with Exact Solar, each of these organizations have helped bring ASPIRA's vision to life.

Looking ahead, ASPIRA's Director of Culinary and Environmental Education, Daniel Pompile, has plans to expand the system's capacity. With additional hydroponic grow towers currently being installed in a re-purposed locker room shower in ASPIRA's building (pending some electrical upgrades), the school will soon produce an output of produce equivalent to four acres of farmland.

Exact Solar is proud to have contributed to such a transformative project. With the recent passing of Pennsylvania's Solar for Schools grant, this project serves as an example of how schools can use grant money to fund solar systems that offer unique educational opportunities.