Merced children learn solar lessons on a hot day in the park

About 20 children participated in a hands-on, real-life lesson about solar energy Monday at the Renewable Energy Learning Center at Stephen Leonard Park.

After a short lesson, the students assembled a fan powered by a solar panel and tested their apparatus amid the sizzling, 104-degree temperature. Students also received banks shaped as light bulbs.

Similar lessons for children will continue throughout the summer through the partnership between the Merced Irrigation District and UC Solar.

The Renewable Energy Learning Center aims to bring science and renewable energy education to youths and the local community. The room at the youth center at Stephen Leonard Park, at 640 T St. in Merced, is set up like a classroom to cater to K-12 students, with posters on renewable energy on display.

This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Merced children learn solar lessons on a hot day in the park."