AHS juniors finalize project to harness solar power

When Aspen High School students return to campus on Aug. 10, they will be able to charge their Chromebooks using solar power.

Rising juniors Maya Khan-Farooqi and Ines Cantineaux have spent the summer finalizing a project called Eco-charge that will allow some outlets and a Chromebook portable charging station in the high school to be powered with solar energy. They have worked on the project since the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, and in March were awarded a $1,400 grant from the city of Aspen as part of its inaugural youth climate ambassador program.

Khan-Farooqi and Cantineaux worked with ASD Director of Operations and Facilities Joe Waneka and outside contractors to figure out the best way to harness the solar energy. Now, the two have figured out how much energy the panel can harness — about 8,640 watts per day — how much charging capability that gives them. They have installed green charging covers to indicate which outlets are powered with solar energy.

Last week, an inverter system was installed to help transform the solar energy from the panel to be used at the school.