Buchanan, Hoover part of first PG&E Solar Suitcase Program

Nineteen California schools, including Buchanan High School in Clovis and Hoover High School in Fresno, were selected by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for the first year of the Solar Suitcase Program, where students build portable solar units and have the chance to share them with students in Kenya.

A solar suitcase is a portable lighting system, powerful enough to brighten a small room. One hundred suitcases will be delivered through PG&E’s program to the schools, with training on building them provided to students.

The program has both a local and international focus, with sustainability projects available for students to participate in such as park cleanups, community gardens and water and energy conservation. Four students will be selected, based on submitted video of their local sustainability project, to deliver solar suitcases to orphanages, schools and medical clinics in Kenya with the charity Free the Children.

More information on the program is at www.pge.com/solarsuitcase.

Sarah Anderson: (559) 441-6248; @Sarahsonofander

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Buchanan, Hoover part of first PG&E Solar Suitcase Program."