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SILER CITY, N.C. – Four schools across North Carolina were chosen to receive solar panels from Progress Energy as part of its "Sunsense" Schools initiative.

The students at Jordan-Matthews High School already know some things about solar energy.

"It's not as costly as other methods, and it's safe, and it's long term," explained junior Avery Johnson.

Now, instead of just reading about solar energy in textbooks, they have their very own photovoltaic panels thanks to the $20,000 grant from Progress Energy and the Carolina Hurricanes.

"This is a 2-kilowatt-size system. It's enough to power probably the lights in one classroom," explained Chatham Olive, with Argand Energy Solutions.

As part of the initiative, students will be able to track the energy output from the panels, which will be available online.

"The students are able to compare and contrast early in the day versus midday, August versus December, cloudy days versus bright days," said Phillip Cox, the school's science teacher who spearheaded the effort to get the Sunsense grant. "There's just a whole host of applications that we have not scratched the surface of yet."

Rep. Joe Hackney, the state speaker of the house, was on hand at the dedication ceremony on Friday. He said the education component is critical because getting this kind of hands-on learning experience now will help prepare students for the future.

"The students of today will become the citizens of tomorrow who design the systems, work in the systems, repair the systems and buy the systems for their own use," he said.

The science classes won't be the only ones utilizing the solar panel demonstration system. Teachers of other subjects will also be developing lesson plans to incorporate the panels.