When the school year begins this March 2, one school in Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires will not only be the first to supply itself with energy, it will also be the first public building in the capital to inject its energy surplus into Edesur's energy grid.

Residents in the area will soon be using energy generated by the educational institution. Primary School No. 15 “Antonio Devoto,” at Avenida Salvador María del Carril 4180, has installed around 200 solar panel, giving them the capacity to generate about 200 kw/h of power. The school is one of seven that now have photovoltaic panels on its terraces.

The Villa Devoto school is part of the Green Schools programme, a scheme overseen by the Undersecretariat of Educational Technology and Sustainability. The programme aims to promote sustainability in Buenos Aires City schools through education and environmental management. The project falls within the commitment assumed by the Buenos Aires City Government to convert the capital into a “carbon neutral zone” by 2050.

From these global commitments, assumed by the City's Executive, Green Schools began feasibility and survey studies in 2016, studying more than 600 schools in the city across all educational levels, studying the potential for the installation and generation of solar energy on terraces under the project ‘Solar School Park.’ The studies allowed officials to identify more than 140 school buildings in the city that have the necessary conditions for the installation of photovoltaic panel.

“It is a milestone for the City and for the country because it is the first public building that injects energy into the network,” Santiago Andrés, the City government's deputy secretary for Educational Technology and Sustainability, told Perfil. "This initiative has to serve as a kick off for us to start thinking about alternative ways to take care of the environment in which we live."