Editor's Note: This story was originally published by Grist and written by reporter Joseph Winters. You can subscribe to his weekly newsletter here.
In 2014, two solar energy groups released a report that found that only about 3,750 schools in the US -- about 130,000 in all -- generate electricity from solar panels. But that number is still growing.
According to the fourth edition of the Brighter Future report, released last week by clean energy nonprofit Generation180, the number of U.S. schools using solar power has doubled in the past seven years, reaching an estimated 8,400 by the end of 2021 . So-called "sunshine schools" now make up nearly every 10th public, independent, and charter K-12 school, serving more than 6 million students nationwide.
Tish Tablan, Solar for All Schools Generation180 program director and lead author of the report, called the number a "huge milestone." While some schools are building new rooftop and ground solar systems, others are signing up for a community solar program. In some cases, schools using solar panels generate enough electricity to sell in their communities. Since 2015, the total solar capacity of US schools has tripled to 1,644 megawatts, enough to power all homes in a city the size of Boston, Denver, or Washington, DC.
At the top is California; Golden State has the most solar schools and the largest solar capacity. It ranks fourth in the percentage of schools powered by solar power, behind Connecticut, Washington, DC and Hawaii, where 40 percent of schools are already using solar power. And other states are making big strides: between 2019 and 2021, Washington state solar capacity will grow more than eightfold, while Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas and Virginia will at least double their installed solar capacity.
According to Talan, much of this growth has been enabled by third-party financing models such as power purchase agreements, or PPAs. Under this agreement, the developer pays for the installation and operation of the solar panels and the school purchases electricity for a set period of time. Developers benefit from the arrangement because they benefit from the federal tax credit and earn a steady income.
For schools, the deal could save thousands of dollars on their electric bills and eliminate upfront costs associated with installing solar panels, which Generation180 said were "critical" to solar rollout outside of wealthier school districts. According to the report, by 2021, 47 percent of public solar schools will be eligible for funding through the Federal Title I school program, and at least 40 percent of their students will be from low-income families. (As of 2019, 57 percent of all public schools in the state are eligible for this scholarship.)
In Denver Public Schools, Colorado, for example, AKP, with several solar developers, helped 90,000 school district students install 9 megawatts of solar capacity in 50 schools, at least 21 of which are in the Title I school program. District. It achieved emissions reductions equivalent to removing 2,175 petrol cars from the road each year.
As an added bonus, the Denver school uses solar panels to teach students about renewable energy. This summer, Denver Public Schools partnered with a nonprofit solar installer to offer high school students engineering courses and careers guidance, as well as in-service training for aspiring electrical engineers. A student interviewed for the Generation180 report, Kimberly, said the program "opened my eyes and introduced me to a career I didn't know existed."
Although schools have made progress, Generation180 notes that there is still work to be done, as about 90 percent of US schools still do not have solar panels. "We still have a long way to go to reach our goal of 100% clean energy," the report said, "and the speed and scale of the climate crisis requires that we respond faster than ever." The organization estimates , that converting all K-12 schools in the United States to 100 percent solar power would save 60 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, roughly equivalent to the pollution from 16 coal-fired power plants.
Tablan said more PPAs could help move the needle and have a big impact on policy changes across the six states -- mostly in the South -- that limit those third-party funding opportunities. Federal funds from last year's bipartisan infrastructure law and this year's anti-inflation law could also help; Together, the legislation includes hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to improve schools' energy systems and reduce their pollution, as well as expanding tax credits to help schools offset the cost of new solar energy storage projects.
