https://www.ecowatch.com/solar-schools-us-2513536603.html
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Lorraine Chow
Nov. 29, 2017 01:15PM EST
,500 K-12 Schools Have Already Gone Solar
Nearly 5,500 K-12 schools in the U.S. are harnessing the sun's rays for
energy, according to a new report by the Solar Energy Industries
Association (SEIA), the Solar Foundation and clean energy nonprofit
Generation 180. That means about five percent of all K-12s in the nation
are solar powered.
The study, Brighter Future: A Study on Solar in U.S. Schools, 2nd
Edition, touts that this switch to renewables has allowed schools to
reduce their electricity bills, all while freeing up resources to invest
in education. Roughly four million students attend such schools.
A total of 5,489 schools have a combined capacity of 910 megawatts,
which is enough to power more than 190,000 homes, the study found.
Here are some notable state achievements from the Brighter Future report:
California leads the nation with 1,946 solar schools and a
489-megawatt capacity.
Nevada has the highest adoption rate, with 23 percent of schools
using solar energy statewide.
Arizona has the most solar school capacity on a per capita basis,
at 86 watts per student.
As GreenTechMedia reported, cumulative PV capacity on K-12 school
buildings has increased by 86 percent since 2008. The reason behind the
surge is down to dipping installation prices and new financing options.
The cost of installing solar in schools has decreased 66 percent in the
past seven years.
"All of the reasons why people are going solar, […] really tie back to
the affordability," SEIA spokesman Dan Whitten told the website.
However, the possibility of the Trump administration's new tariffs on
imported solar equipment from the Section 201 Trade Case could stymie
the country's adoption of solar power.
“Injecting significant additional costs on these projects would poke
holes in the very reason that people are adopting solar: That it is
affordable and that it is competitive with other fuels. Artificially
raising prices is never a good thing," Whitten explained.
The Brighter Future report includes case studies of the unique paths
that schools took to install solar.
For instance, at Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman, Montana, a
seventh-grader named Claire Vlases led the charge and helped raised
funds to bring solar to her school. Installation cost $115,000, but the
solar system is expected to pay for itself in nine years.
“My favorite part about this project was that one person like me could
start something small and then the project could grow and have a big
impact on the community," Vlases said.
To tie-in with the release of the report, Generation 180 is launching a
national Solar Schools Campaign to encourage more schools to make the
transition.
The Generation 180 website includes a toolkit that provides a
step-by-step advice on the process, as well as resources to assess
feasibility and financing.