(File Photo: Caption for Photo: Neighborhood North Museum of Play in Beaver Falls.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver Falls, PA) Beaver Falls Mayor Kenya Johns will join Neighborhood North Museum of Play (NNMOP) on Wednesday, July 29th to flip the switch on their new interactive solar demonstration system that was facilitated through the Rural Innovation through Solar Empowerment (RISE) partnership between nonprofits RiverWise and the PA Solar Center so they can inspire entities to explore solar energy.

RISE was a two-year project that was awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energizing Rural Communities Prize.

This project was funded by the Environmental Mitigation Community Fund and the system was designed and installed by AYA Instruments, which is a company based in Pittsburgh.

NNMOP’s solar installation is the first RISE project in Beaver County and it will serve as an additional site for the Energy Discovery Zone, which is an immersive educational platform developed by AYA Instruments that transforms renewable energy systems into hands-on learning experiences.

That project includes a 2.43 kW ground-mounted solar array, a 190 Ah battery bank, a 15 kW AC inverter, solar exhibits and a solar-powered Maxwell EV mobile classroom designed to offer a hands-on introduction to solar for the community.

The Mobile Maker Lab will bring NNMOP’s signature hands-on STEAM experiences directly into communities to make innovative educational programming more accessible to children and families across the region.

The Mobile Maker Lab will inspire curiosity about solar power, increase access to sustainability education, and empower young learners to imagine a cleaner, more innovative future by integrating arts education with environmental science and renewable energy concepts.