As clean energy wins continue to surge across the globe, individual countries and industries are lauded for their commitment to pivoting away from greenhouse gasses and reducing carbon emissions.
But what about the public sphere?
Namely, what about the clean energy movement for America’s public schools?
As it turns out, there’s good news on that front, too.
A new report, published by Generation180, a clean energy nonprofit, found that one in nine K-12 schools in the United States now use solar energy to power their buildings.
These numbers indicate that the use of solar energy has more than quadrupled in U.S. schools since 2014, which Generation180 believes is thanks to an influx of federal investments and tax incentives for schools.
“The benefits of solar energy are now reaching a broad range of schools across the country, including schools in under-resourced communities that stand to gain the most from the cost savings and educational opportunities that solar technology provides,” said Tish Tablan, the lead report author and senior director of the nonprofit’s Electrify Our Schools Program.
“We want all schools and communities, regardless of their size, geography, or wealth, to have access to affordable, clean energy,” she added.
According to the report, over 6.2 million K-12 students now attend a school that utilizes solar power. And in the 2022 and 2023 school year alone, over 800 schools added solar arrays, which the study said is “enough for at least one school to go solar every day.”
The report also found that the nation’s K-12 schools currently generate 1,814 megawatts of cumulative solar capacity, which is enough to power the electricity of all 330,000+ households in Denver, Colorado.
“While we’re excited to see growth in solar uptake, too many schools are still missing out on the many benefits that solar energy brings to students, communities, and the climate,” Stuart Gardner, Generation180’s executive director, said in a statement.
“We hope this report helps more schools to see what’s possible in their own districts and inspires them to take part in our country’s clean energy transition.”
Fortunately, the transition to clean energy has never been easier.
Generation180’s report found that most of the schools switching to solar were able to fund their projects through third-party ownership models, which removed the barrier of upfront costs.
Additionally, the historic Inflation Reduction Act offers schools tax credits — which are paid as cash reimbursements — for solar panels, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies.
How do schools stack up when it comes to solar?
Generation180’s report also features an interactive map, depicting which states are leading the way for the solar movement.
California, New Jersey, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are the top five states for solar capacity at schools, though Minnesota, Maryland, and Pennsylvania have created state-funded grant programs to support solar adoption in schools.
Additionally, a number of programs across the country were highlighted as case studies.
In Denver, for instance, the city’s public school district uses its school solar canopies to extend electric bill savings to households in the area.
Instead of just powering the school, these canopies also provide affordable, clean energy to low-income families in the Denver Public Schools community. According to a press release from Generation180, this program currently saves 44 local families an estimated 64% on their household electricity costs.
“My hope is that this unique partnership serves as a model for others to replicate as the need for a healthier, brighter, and more just world for all becomes more urgent,” LeeAnn Kittle, executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, said.
Meanwhile, Wayne County Public Schools has committed to being the first district in West Virginia to solarize all of its school buildings by 2025.
“While historically relying on coal power in the past, the district is now installing 10,000 solar panels across its school sites,” the report shared.
This comes with a projected energy cost savings of $6.5 million over 25 years, which is enough to fund the salaries of three additional teachers for the duration of their careers.
In addition to this, Wayne County Public Schools will also offer apprenticeships that will provide job training to high school students, enabling them to help install solar in their schools.
In neighboring North Carolina, Tar Heel School in Bladen County has become a trailblazer for its net positive energy building, which generates more onsite clean electricity than it consumes.
The school has also integrated its clean energy design into the curriculum, “using the school building as a teacher,” to get students excited about green careers.
“We wanted to include sustainable features to the structure, but we were also thinking about the impact a building like this has on the environment,” Superintendent Dr. Jason Atkinson said.
“The building itself is a teaching tool for students that displays building functionality in real time — it’s an on-site science experiment. The students love it.”
These programs represent just a few examples of how solar energy in schools can make a major impact, which makes Generation180’s study a positive indication that more schools are steadily joining the solar revolution.
“We know that when people see solar-powered buildings in their neighborhood, they are more likely to go solar at their own homes and businesses,” Tablan told Good Good Good.
“Since schools are hubs in their communities where families play and neighborhood groups gather, they can have a positive ripple effect that inspires and normalizes clean energy adoption across the country.”
Combined with exciting educational benefits, she added, solar power sets a precedent for today’s students.
Tablan said, “This generation is growing up with the expectation that this is just how our buildings should be powered.”
Header image courtesy of Grimm + Parker