Editor’s note: Valerie Overley’s sixth-grade students at Pilot Butte Middle School wrote essays after studying energy and electricity. Below are the four essays the students voted were the best.

Bend should invest 
in solar power

I am in sixth grade at Pilot Butte Middle School. We are doing a classroom project about solar farms around Bend. We have read four articles about Oregon’s energy, coal, what solar power is, and solar farms around Bend. Some main ideas are that Oregon gets most of its power from dams and coal, and that solar power doesn’t pollute the environment much. We learned that solar power is good and bad for Oregon.

Coal is an amazing fuel source, but very bad for the environment. Coal is an abundant fuel source, for now, but we won’t have any in about 110 years from now. Coal takes millions of years to form, so that’s why it is so precious to us. Coal produces energy, so that’s why we need it in our lives, but here in Oregon we are starting to use solar power to reduce the use of coal.

Bend’s best choice right now would be to start investing in solar power. Solar power is power that doesn’t pollute the environment, it gets most of its energy from the sun and produces energy. What’s good about using solar power is that it wouldn’t pollute the environment as much as coal would. But what’s bad about investing in solar power around Oregon is that each solar farm would cost around $44 million!

I know a lot of people that live around solar farms and they know a lot about them. Most people think that Bend should keep investing in solar power, and I agree with them. I think Bend should continue because it wouldn’t pollute the environment as much as coal or another fossil fuel would.

Spencer Goodin

Bend

More pros for solar farms

Where does Oregon get its power? Oregon gets most of its power from dams and coal. However, the state also gets energy from natural gas, wind and nuclear power plants. These energy sources come from companies like PG&E and PacifiCorp. Because Oregon’s main power sources are not renewable, they cause pollution. Oregon has plans to switch to a more renewable energy. Our state’s power will be changing in the near future.

Coal provides Oregon with a third of its energy. This energy source is nonrenewable and is formed from the earth. Coal is a fossil fuel which means that it takes millions of years to form. Burning coal releases emissions that affect the environment and are bad for human health. Should we really continue to use coal as a main power source?

Central Oregon is investing in solar power. Solar energy or photovoltaics (PV) is a renewable energy source that the state of Oregon uses for power. Because solar energy is renewable, it creates an abundant supply of energy, so we can’t run out of this power source. Solar power is also very sustainable and causes much less pollution than fossil fuels like coal. This is why Oregon should invest in more solar power.

What are the plans for solar farming in Central Oregon? There are plans for a large 45-megawatt solar farm on Neff Road. This project will require an employment of over 200 construction workers and be contributed about $4 million in construction. The project generates enough energy to power 6,000 homes. However, the downside is that it will create a very visually unappealing experience to onlookers. These are the plans for solar farming in Central Oregon.

In my opinion, solar power is great and having more solar farms in this area is a good idea. I understand that many people may not agree with me, but I encourage these people to weigh their pros and cons because they might find there are many more pros than they first thought.

Lillian Mcallister

Bend

Solar power for 
a natural place

Central Oregon is a very natural place. We don’t go talking about flying cars and spaceships. We talk about rafting, biking and swimming. So why not rely on a natural power resource? Solar power can help reduce costs and it helps the environment. Right now, Oregon gets most of its energy from dams and coal. Coal is nonrenewable and dams are expensive. Solar power is very renewable. Just like the sun.

Coal is found deep underground in fossils. Hence it is called a fossil fuel. Most coal is consumed for power purposes. As coal is burned, it creates carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide and other bad gases slowly heat the world. We call this the greenhouse effect, or global warming.

As for solar panels, they are very efficient. They provide electricity to homes, businesses and factories. Also, solar panels are a renewable energy source, meaning they never run out. Another reason is that they are so much more favorable than wind turbines and dams. Which, may I remind you, are very expensive.

Two solar farms have already been built off Neff Road. A third was proposed by Bear Creek. This idea is not amazing to some people but change is new and we’re going to have to warm up to it. It may not be pretty, but it will help the world cool down and become a suitable place for all of us to live. Give it a chance — you will be impressed.

Karli Krajczynski

Bend

Solar could reduce
need for coal

Bend has a lot of different energy sources coming from different places and states. Bend has a lot but a major important source of Bend’s power is hydropower, water turning turbines, making up 45 percent. Then there’s coal coming in at 33 percent and natural gas making 12 percent of Bend’s power. Notice that way too much of Bend’s power is bad for the environment. We can start using cleaner energy sources.

Coal is a major power source for Bend; it makes up a third of Bend’s power source, according to a 2014 article from The Bulletin, but we can change that. Coal is bad because when people burn it to convert it to electricity, it emits bad fumes into the atmosphere, making greenhouse gases. This is a big contributor to things like climate change. Not only is coal bad for the environment, it’s not renewable either; we only have so much of it left.

Bend should invest in solar energy. Solar energy is energy that comes from the sun and gets converted to energy with panels that collect the sunlight. Solar energy is good because it is renewable, would reduce our need for coal and it’s cheaper. The only downsides to solar energy are that you can’t use it when the sun isn’t out, and if Bend made another solar farm, they’d need a big place to put it because those solar farms are pretty big.

Bend is already such a great city. There are nice people, good food and we can make it even better by giving it clean energy. Bend should keep on investing in solar energy.

Jake Jurgensen

Bend