Can My School Go Solar?

Why should my school consider solar energy?

By going solar, school districts can do their part to reduce their air and global warming pollution, be a leader in the effort to transition to a clean energy future, and lower their energy costs. 

Powering your school with renewable energy is a great way to dramatically reduce the climate and air pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels. This provides cleaner air for the community and helps to make sure that students have a healthy climate to call home for decades to come. 

Additionally, energy costs are the largest expense for school after teacher salaries. Each year, K-12 school districts across the country spend nearly $8 billion on energy costs, and energy prices have continued to go even higher in the last few years. Putting solar panels on school building rooftops, parking lots and district properties can help school districts dramatically cut their energy bills, and instead put those saved dollars into educating our children.

Almost 5% of Pennsylvania schools have already gone solar and have offset between 65 and 110% of their previous annual energy costs. Some schools have actually been able to completely eliminate their energy bills and now receive money for the excess energy they generate and return to the grid thanks to net-metering.

The recent passage of Pennsylvania’s Solar for Schools grant program directs $25 million to help school districts across the state go solar. So now, there is even more support available for schools to invest in this important source of renewable energy!

Pennsylvania’s Solar for Schools grant program

The Solar for Schools grant program aims to reduce the cost of installing solar energy systems onto school buildings across the Commonwealth. School districts, charter schools, schools for education of the deaf or the blind, area career and technical schools, and even community colleges can apply for these funds. These grants can cover up to 50% of the costs of purchasing and installing of solar equipment, permit fees, energy storage, and utility interconnection.

The Solar for Schools grant program will be accepting applications from November 1 to January 31, 2025.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development is managing the grants program and has many great resources for interested schools: Toolkit, FAQs, and a Preparation Checklist. Additionally, Pennsylvania Solar Center has great resources and webinars available to answer questions, and staff to help schools navigate the application process; and Generation180 offers technical support and resources to K-12 schools who want to electrify and go solar.

Other funding opportunities for going solar:

In addition to Pennsylvania’s state-level Solar for Schools grant program, there are incredible savings now available that school districts can tap into at the federal level to go solar. Through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, tax-exempt entities like school districts are now eligible to receive a 30% rebate on their solar system. After the solar system goes into operation, schools can apply through a process called Elective Pay (also known as Direct Pay). This means that if schools invest in solar, even if their system is financed, they may be eligible to receive a lump sum payment from the IRS the year after building their system.

Check out PennEnvironment’s helpful resource on how school districts can tap into the benefits offered by the Inflation Reduction Act, and navigating direct pay as a non-profit:

Altogether, if a school district qualifies for both the Solar for Schools grant program and the direct payment from the Inflation Reduction Act, they can get 80% of the total project costs covered. With only 20% of the cost remaining and the expected energy savings, a school district’s solar array could pay for itself in just a few years – and then just start reaping annual savings.

Other environmentally-friendly and energy-saving programs for school districts:

Going solar isn’t the only way the school districts can lower their energy costs. The Inflation Reduction Act also offers reimbursements for other clean energy technologies, such as ground-source heat pump HVAC units, energy storage, electric vehicle charging equipment, and electric vehicles, such as school buses.

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, the U.S. EPA offers rebates for schools to invest in electric school buses through the Electric School Bus Grant Program. Transitioning to electric school buses provides numerous benefits to school districts, the communities that they serve, and the environment, including improving children’s health and reducing air and noise pollution. Electric school buses have the potential to bring even greater benefits if they are equipped with technology that allows them to deliver power to buildings and back to the grid.

Pennsylvania schools leading the way:

There are school districts across Pennsylvania that have invested in solar to save money, re-invest in their students, and improve their communities!

In Cumberland County, the Carlisle Area School District had 5,178 solar panels installed on 6.2 acres of land, making this the largest solar array owned by a Pennsylvania public school district. The solar panels reduce the schools carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking 178 cars off the road each year. Additionally, the solar panels augment instruction for students in pre-engineering and career and technical programs.

In Mifflin County, the Mifflin County School District in Lewistown installed energy efficient upgrades. The updates included district wide interior & exterior lighting upgrades, HVAC upgrades, and window and roof upgrades. All of these improvements save the district about $1 million in energy costs per year. Mifflin County School District also installed a 4.19 MW solar array, more than 9,000 solar panels on the hill behind the school — the largest solar installation at any school district in Pennsylvania. The solar system alone is projected to save the district more than $9 million over the contract term.

These Pennsylvania school districts are leading the way to a clean energy future. By investing in solar, these schools are benefiting from lower energy costs and cleaner air. Now is a better time than ever for more Pennsylvania schools to make the most of the state and federal opportunities available and build towards a healthier future for their students and all Pennsylvanians.