West Virginia Students Receive Gift of Hands-on Learning

Ripley & Ravenswood, West Virginia – BHE Renewables and the STEAM Technical Assistance Center (STEAM TAC), part of the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative at West Virginia University, launched the “Bright Ideas” solar and battery storage immersion classroom experience on September 25, 2025, at Ripley and Ravenswood Middle Schools. Students used Snap Circuit kits to build their own solar-powered circuits, gaining practical experience with key electricity concepts such as voltage, current and resistance and electrical safety.

 

Through hands-on activities, students learned how solar panels collect and store energy and explored the range of careers involved in making a solar microgrid successful. This immersive approach helped students connect classroom learning to real-world advancements in their own communities. The “Bright Ideas” classroom immersion was the result of a year-long collaboration between solar energy experts from BHE Renewables and the educational team at STEAM TAC.

 

“We are thrilled by the tremendous success of the STEAM Technical Assistance Center’s collaborative partnership with BHE Renewables, which brought together our expert teams to design and deliver the new “Bright Ideas” immersion to middle school students in Jackson County,” said Donna Peduto, executive director of West Virginia Public Education Collaborative.

 

The event marked a celebration of West Virginia’s public educators and their crucial role in shaping the future workforce. Peduto added, “Not only were the students captivated by the immersive experience that focused on the science behind solar energy and replicated real-world STEAM applications, but teachers were equipped with resources to support STEAM learning beyond the immersions. We hope to bring this caliber of experiential learning through the “Bright Ideas” immersion to even more classrooms across West Virginia in the future.”

 

A few miles down the highway from Ravenswood Middle School, BHE Renewables is constructing a state-of-the-art solar microgrid that will feature a 106-megawatt solar array and battery energy storage system, designed to meet 70% of Titanium Metals Corporation, Inc. (TIMET)’s anticipated energy needs annually to produce titanium products. TIMET’s new state-of-the-art titanium melt facility (also under construction) will employ hundreds of people in Jackson County.

 

“The microgrid at Ravenswood demonstrates that renewable energy can be a foundation for job creation and economic revitalization,” said Dan Winters, vice president of communications for BHE Renewables. “It’s exciting to see kids make the connection between classroom experiments and the cutting-edge energy system being built right here in West Virginia,” Winters said.

 

Educators interested in bringing STEAM TAC’s innovative immersions to their schools can visit steamtac.wvu.edu or email steamtac@mail.wvu.edu for more information.

 

About BHE Renewables

 

BHE Renewables delivers sustainable energy solutions. For Customers. For Communities. Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, BHE Renewables owns solar, wind, geothermal, natural gas and hydroelectric projects that produce energy for both the wholesale market and for customers under long-term power agreements.

 

About the STEAM Technical Assistance Center

 

Since 2022, the STEAM TAC has conducted more than 650 visits across West Virginia, reaching over 60,000 students in grades 6 - 12 and more than 500 teachers. All immersions expose students to career-oriented skills and future job opportunities through the integration of multiple content areas at once, including science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, history and English language arts.