With a rating as a Prime 10 State for photo voltaic capability at Okay-12 faculties, Pennsylvania is rising as a nationwide chief in clear vitality for faculties. Based on a new report from clear vitality nonprofit Generation180, Pennsylvania Okay-12 faculties greater than tripled the quantity of photo voltaic put in from 14 to 45 MW within the final 10 years. Over the last decade, the variety of statewide Okay-12 faculties with photo voltaic installations practically doubled from 63 to 124.
Final 12 months, the Photo voltaic for Colleges Act created a brand new alternative for Pennsylvania faculties to entry the monetary and academic advantages of photo voltaic vitality. Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Division of Neighborhood & Financial Improvement (DCED) introduced the recipients of 73 grants totaling $22.6 million from the Solar for Schools Grant Program to assist fund new photo voltaic initiatives at public faculties. The grant program helps to fund an estimated 42 MW of latest photo voltaic capability, which might virtually double the solar energy generated by statewide Okay-12 faculties. As soon as put in, these photo voltaic installations are projected to avoid wasting practically $5 million in annual vitality prices, releasing up vital assets to put money into important programming and enhanced classroom studying.
The Photo voltaic For Colleges grants vary between $42,000 to $500,000 (or as much as 50% of whole photo voltaic undertaking prices). This funding could be stacked on high of federal vitality tax credit, that are at the moment accessible to colleges utilizing Elective Pay. By combining state and federal incentives, a faculty might recoup between 60% and 100% of the photo voltaic undertaking prices.
“Pennsylvania’s faculties are stepping up as clear vitality leaders — not solely chopping vitality prices but in addition creating more healthy studying environments and hands-on STEM alternatives for college kids,” stated Shannon Crooker, Pennsylvania director at Generation180. “With new assist from the Photo voltaic for Colleges Grant Program and rising momentum throughout the state, we’re simply starting to faucet into the total potential of photo voltaic to energy our faculties and our future.”
Photo voltaic adoption has doubled each 5 years at rural PA Colleges
The brand new report additionally discovered that since 2010, photo voltaic adoption by faculties in rural locales has doubled roughly each 5 years. Earlier than 2020, photo voltaic adoption by Pennsylvania Okay-12 faculties was concentrated within the jap half of the state, notably in city and suburban communities within the southeastern area. Over the previous 5 years, photo voltaic adoption by Okay-12 faculties has expanded westward, with vital development within the cities and rural communities of central Pennsylvania. New rural counties, similar to Snyder, Perry and Forest, have now joined the motion. Whereas this momentum is promising, solely 2% of Pennsylvania’s 6,000 Okay-12 faculties statewide have put in photo voltaic vitality initiatives
Federal vitality tax credit score helps small rural college district save tens of millions
In 2025, Huntingdon Space Faculty District (HASD) turned the primary college district in Pennsylvania to finish a photo voltaic undertaking that’s eligible for the photo voltaic ITC utilizing Elective Pay. With two of three photo voltaic initiatives operational in 2024, the district plans to file for a federal vitality tax credit score by means of Elective Pay to safe over $1 million, roughly 37% of the entire photo voltaic undertaking value. By maximizing vitality effectivity and putting in photo voltaic arrays at a number of campuses, HASD is projected to avoid wasting $5.8 million in electrical energy payments over the subsequent 20 years. These financial savings shall be reinvested into vital academic wants and guarantee long-term monetary stability.
“Investing in photo voltaic is a win-win for our district — it strengthens our monetary future whereas instructing our college students the worth of sustainability,” stated Jennifer Mitchell, Superintendent of Huntingdon Space Faculty District. “By leveraging Elective Pay, we’re capable of faucet into federal assets that made this undertaking potential and redirect the financial savings again into the classroom the place they’re wanted most.”
This third-edition Powering a Brighter Future in Pennsylvania report follows a biennial national report from Generation180 detailing the expansion and tendencies at U.S. Okay-12 faculties which have embraced solar energy.
Information merchandise from Generation180
