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High schooler launches solar panel installation in Thousand Oaks

By Tiffany Hsu
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This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Apparently undistracted by normal teenage concerns, Westlake High School senior Adam Raudonis has helped set up a 6.3-kilowatt solar installation at his school.

The 18-year old, who raised $5,900 through grants, fundraisers, coin drives, Earth Day activities and recycling, will reveal the system Monday afternoon at the Thousand Oaks campus. The panels will help offset 270,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over their 25-year lifespan while saving the school $40,000.

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Advanced Solar Electric of Thousand Oaks installed the system for free on the roof of the school’s maintenance building, while SolarWorld donated several of the 28 mono-silicon panels, each 225 watts.
The teenager founded a group called Students for Solar Schools which has helped launch dozens of similar projects at other schools. He also attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December and helped set up the panels as part of the California Climate Champions program sponsored by educational nonprofit organization British Council and the California Air Resources Board.

Raudonis is set to attend Stanford University next year, studying Earth systems or economics.

--Tiffany Hsu

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Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.

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