Nine schools in Berlin are in the process of turning their roofs into a solar park. Photovoltaic cells will be installed on 14 roofs, producing about one million kilowatts of electricity each year. Enough to supply 220 four-person households.

The project is being run with the input of students and teachers. Solar technology and energy management have become part of the curriculum and each school will have a public display showing the current production of energy from the roofs and the amount of carbon dioxide saved.

The solar sector in Germany employed 55,000 people in 2007 and is forecast to generate another 150,000 jobs in the next ten years.

The project has been initiated by 30⁰ Solar GmbH - a start-up team of entrepreneurs and engineers from different universities in Berlin. The team focuses on renewable energies in public buildings such as schools, sports centres and universities, and offers planning, project management, business and implementation skills. It aims to include the wider public in solar projects and to make emerging technologies accessible to children. The students of the Berlin schools will launch the project at the end of June.