Sidney High School, a small school in Upstate New York, was recently given a state-of-the-art SunMaxx Thermosyphon Solar Hot Water System.  The Solar System, which incorporates a solar collector and an integrated solar hot water storage tank, is widely used for its economic and ecological benefits in countries around the world, but will be used for educational purposes at Sidney High School.

Within Upstate New York, Sidney is recognized as one of the leading public high schools in the real-world applications of scientific principles.  Sidney High School is also the alma mater of Silicon Solar Inc Founder and CEO Adam Farrell.  Silicon Solar has strong ties to the Upstate New York area, with many employees from the area and its corporate headquarters are located in Bainbridge, NY.

Silicon Solar Inc is a local company, but also an international corporation, with both domestic and

international facilities, and customers on every continent but Antarctica. Silicon Solar is the manufacturer of the industry-leading SunMaxx Solar Hot Water Systems, a complete line of Solar Hot Water products that offer affordable, efficient and cost-effective solutions to many heating needs including Domestic Hot Water, Radiant Home Heating and Pool/Spa/Hot Tub Heating.

With this new partnership, Sidney High School students plan to run a number of tests on the SunMaxx Thermosyphon System, testing for output and efficiency under a variety of conditions.  Throughout the process, a large number of Sidney Students will have the opportunity to work directly with this cutting-edge technology.

Just the initial phase of the cooperative project has generated a large amount of interest in all levels of solar implementation, including; research and development, engineering and design, and installation.  By coupling this useful interest with the much-anticipated economic boom within the Solar Thermal Industry over the coming years, both Silicon Solar Inc and Sidney High School hope to prepare their students for the transition to a cleaner, green-collar world.

Through this effort, Sidney High School, with the help of Silicon Solar, will enable its students to be on the cutting edge of science and application in a field of study that will only continue to expand and grow throughout their lifetime.

Sidney high school environmental science teacher Jay Waltz commented that "We are very grateful for this gift. It will not only help us teach first-hand about sustainability but also fiscal responsibility. This is such an important thing for students to be learning about now.  This will be their future."

One of the students involved in the assembly of the Solar Collector noted that “it really feels good to know that what we are working on now will help make our world a better place.”  Silicon Solar echoes these sentiments, understanding that only through the education and inspiration of our younger generations can we truly help the world move toward a cleaner, more sustainable and more eco-friendly way of life.