Please add your school district’s name as an official supporter of the Solar for Schools Grant Program. This legislation—HB1032—passed the PA House in June with bipartisan support. Your support encourages the PA Senate to make this program a reality.
The program would fund 50% of the cost of project construction. Federal money from the Inflation Reduction Act would cover 30-50% of the remaining installation costs, with school districts responsible for 0-20%, plus operation and maintenance costs.
BENEFITS FOR PENNSYLVANIANS
SAVINGS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS
The savings available from solar are tremendous. While every project is different based on the size of the school’s roof, or the availability of land for ground-mount systems, forward-thinking schools that have gone solar are already reaping huge financial (and educational) benefits:
● In 2020, Midd-west School District in Middleburg, PA installed 5,130 solar panels on 10 acres at their Middleburg campus and the West Snyder Elementary School and reduced their annual $420,000 electrical bill by about $145,000.
● Steelton-Highspire, an urban school district located in Steelton, Pa., installed a ground-mounted solar system which offsets 100% of the district’s annual consumption of electric energy for its two school buildings. The district expects to save $1.6M over 20 years.
● In 2018, the Batesville School District in Arkansas became the first in that state to go solar. Their District initially estimated savings of $2 million over two decades, but rising energy costs increased that figure twofold. Batesville was able to use these savings to increase teacher salaries. Teacher base pay went from around $30,000 to more than $40,000, enabling the district to attract teachers despite a statewide shortage and without forcing it to seek additional tax dollars.
Optional: How would your school district use tens of thousands of dollars of energy savings? *