In 2005, Georgia’s EMCs, together with Green Power EMC, developed the SPARK Energy Education Program, a multi-disciplinary program embracing energy production, conversion, and efficient use. Today, SPARK’s primary focus is solar energy.
Now the largest solar education program in Georgia, SPARK provides participating schools with access to data from solar installations across the state and curriculum to study solar energy. To learn about how renewable energy systems perform, students apply analytic and research tools using data from these solar installations.
SPARK’s standards-based curriculum includes modules for middle and high school students, which can be integrated into participating schools’ science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs to provide a unique, hands-on learning experience. To date, the program has more than 200 participating schools, trained approximately 650 teachers, and reached more than 10,000 students across Georgia.