Permissive policies help drive growth of 'solar schools' Image By EPN Staff The number of U.S. schools with solar arrays installed on campus quadrupled in 10 years, driven largely by schools in states, such as California, Connecticut and New Jersey, with permissive policies authorizing third-party ownership via power purchase agreements. More than 6 million students attend a K-12 school powered at least in part by solar panels, according to a 2024 report from Generation 180, a renewable energy booster group. The group said more than 800 schools added solar panels in 2022 or 2023, “the equivalent of more than one school going solar every day for the last two years.” In all, the group said it knew of 9,281 schools with solar installed, and that about 10% of U.S. students attend a school with solar power. Why it matters Installation costs dropped about 40% over the last decade, the group said, making solar panel arrays more affordable. Generation 180 said the school solar projects not only save schools money and generate cleaner electricity, they provide learning opportunities. The report featured several individual projects, including one school system in West Virginia that added 5 megawatts of solar at 21 locations. The district said the initiative would save $6.5 million over 25 years and that it had started an apprenticeship program to teach students to install and maintain the panels. Solar panel installation is expected to be one of the country’s faster growing jobs over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The West Virginia district, Wayne County Public Schools, is in coal country and expects, this year, to become the first system in the state to solarize all of its campuses. Bigger picture Most schools with solar panels don’t own their solar systems but work with a third party provider that covers up-front costs as well as long-term maintenance, the report states. This Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model is most common in the 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., that have policies explicitly allowing third-party ownership through PPAs, Generation 180 said. “States that allow PPAs make up 92% of the cumulative solar capacity at all K-12 schools, while the remaining 21 states that prohibit or have unclear policies regarding PPAs contribute only 8%,” the report states. Federal policy has been a difference maker as well, because there are tax credits and other incentives in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to boost the solar industry, although their future remains uncertain. Additional context Generation 180 has tracked school solarization since 2014, and the latest statistics are from the beginning of 2024. An interactive map included in the report shows school projects in nearly every state. California leads the country, by far, in total schools and total installed capacity. Other top states: New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut and New York. Hawaii is the No. 1 state for solar schools by percentage, with 30% of its schools having panels. Connecticut is a close second with 27%.
