Southwest Junior High School has received accolades from the state for its solar module on the roof that allows students to study the renewable energy source.

The 1.2-kilowatt solar module on the main entrance to the school generates energy. It also is attached to a database that allows classes to study how much energy the solar power offsets, said Trish Bransky, principal at Southwest, 2511 Inverness Drive.

Through Solar 4 R Schools, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation mostly financed the project. The school also secured a $7,000 grant through the Douglas County Community Foundation’s Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund to cover half of the installation costs.

The school had a ribbon-cutting earlier this week after it received the Governor’s Energy Recognition Award in Renewable Energy at the 2007 Kansas Renewable Energy Conference in Topeka in September.