Solar for Schools

Solar Schools

"There are now 7,332 K-12 schools using solar power nationwide, making up 5.5% of all K-12 public and private schools in the United States.

Since 2014, K-12 schools saw a 139% increase in the amount of solar installed. Today, 5.3 million students attend a school with solar.

79% of the solar installed on schools was financed by a third party, such as a solar developer. This allows schools and districts, regardless of the size of their budget, to purchase solar energy and receive immediate energy cost savings.

Solar-powered school districts can save significantly on energy costs over time. For example, Tucson Unified School District in Arizona expects to save $43 million over 20 years. In Arkansas, the Batesville School District used energy savings to become the highest-paying school district in the county with teachers receiving up to $9,000 per year in raises. 

The top five states for solar on schools are California, New Jersey, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Indiana." -  https://www.thesolarfoundation.org/solar-schools/ 

The Solar Foundation 

Benefits of Solar in Schools

Educational Opportunity

Solar systems inspire curiosity and pride in students.

Reduce Budget Costs

Schools generally run during peek solar harvesting hours, making solar a particularly good choice for most campuses. As the cost of solar power technology drops, solar becomes an increasingly sensible power sources for campuses.

Schools that are open during dark hours may need to buy a portion of energy from their local grid, or rely on battery backup systems to save energy during peek production hours, for use during darker hours.

A growing number of countries are making solar even cheaper or even free for schools via the many grants, energy buying programs, and more. 

Provide Stability During Grid Interruptions

As climate change and population growth in many regions continues to impact energy grids, schools around the world have to cancel classes, disrupting learning, as well as putting students at various forms of risk. Being able to keep the lights on during black outs, brown outs, and climate disasters can keep students on track and safely at school (assuming that getting to and from school is still safe). 

Unique Campus Features

Unique opportunities are offered by the new devices being built. For example outdoor lighting can be solar powered, making the campus safer for kids coming or going during dark hours. Solar benches can provide comfortable seating, interactive learning opportunities, or even let students and staff charge their devices.

Making the Switch

The following resources are intended to help the school switch to greener energy, solar appliances, find grants, and other helpful resources. 

The first section here includes link to international directories and information pages, followed by a small directory of guides listed by location, generally using your local government's guide for schools to go solar, but also including some studies.

ASK  QUESTIONS

As with anything good, there are always pitfalls. Financial arrangements can be particularly tricky, so it is important to have a committee in place that can ask the right questions. 

Issues to address when considering a PPA include: 

Click the Solar button for more information about the various ways solar energy can be harnessed including cooking and water heating. The page also offers tools for predicting energy/cost savings, guides for topics such as optimal angle for your area, and solar energy maps by region. Check the Grants section to learn about tax breaks, grants, and other financial incentives to go solar.

Click the Green My Energy button to find solar or other renewable energy providers. The directory also lists companies around the globe offering alternative energy installations such as solar panels.

International

Europe

UK

North America

USA

Oceana

New Zealand


Organizations & Programs

International

Africa

Egypt


Gambia

Kenya

Malawi

Morocco


Nigeria

South Africa

Tanzania


Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Asia

India

Israel

Europe

UK

North America

Canada


Mexico

USA

California

Illinois 

New York


Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Texas

Virginia

Wisconsin

Oceana

Australia

NSW

South Australia

New Zealand

South America

Brazil

Colombia

Career Education

International

Africa

North America

USA

Texas

Grants & Funding

Some of the resources here are government funded, company programs to help schools afford solar installations, carbon offset programs, and more.

If you can't find what you need here, we have a Grants & Funding page, so click the button to see what is available in your area, or keep scrolling for solar-specific funding opportunities.

International

The items in this section are ideas rather than specific organizations which are listed by continent and country below, or in the standard Grant page.

Possible ran a Solar Schools campaign from 2011-2016 that taught schools about solar panels, provided them with a crowd-funding page, and helped schools across the UK and it's islands to raise enough money to save "38,940 baby elephants worth of carbon"!

Solar Financing Options for Schools, Cities, and Towns

Africa

Benin

Madagascar

Mauritania

Niger

South Africa

Tanzania

Togo

Europe

UK

North America

Canada

USA

Delaware

Texas

Oceana

Australia

Solar Curriculum & Class Plans

Europe

UK

North America

USA

South Carolina

Wisconsin


Oceana

Australia

South Australia

Maps

North America

USA

Further Reading

Solar can be a key part of adapting your school against and for climate change. Click the button to learn about other ways to make your school sustainable.

Solar panels can help shade school grounds, solar benches, solar lights, and other features can be incorporated. Green areas help cool ambient air, which can help make solar panels more efficient. Solar and green roof combinations cool and produce energy better than either feature alone. Solar and green roofs can be a great school addition.

Click the Gardening/Landscaping button to learn more about different types of gardens that may be appropriate for your campus, including food gardens, sensory gardens, roof gardens, xeriscapes, pollinator gardens and more.