Latest news with #SolarforSchools
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$400,000 grant will help fund solar field planned at Erie County Technical School
The Erie County Technical School has been awarded a $400,000 state grant to help fund a solar array on school grounds. The Solar for Schools grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development is among 73 awarded statewide. The almost $23 million in grants will help schools reduce electricity costs, Pennsylvania Education Secretary Rick Siger said in a statement. "Energy is one of the top expenses for schools, which is why investments in solar energy can help to maintain long-term financial stability and improve the quality of education they offer students," Siger said. "Those savings can then be channeled into more resources for our teachers and students, and also create good-paying, clean-energy jobs and job training opportunities." Penncrest School District in Crawford County was awarded a $336,960 Solar for Schools grant. The school plans to build a .5-megawatt solar farm on five to seven acres behind the school at 8500 Oliver Road in Summit Township. About 1,000 solar panels would be installed to produce enough power to provide about one-third of the school's electrical needs, saving about $75,000 annually, tech school Executive Director Matt LaVerde said. The estimates are based on solar assessments from a number of industry entities, LaVerde said. The school spends about $225,000 annually for electricity for multiple buildings and for multiple labs with a variety of power-drawing equipment. "We estimate we will save between $3 million and $5 million on electricity over 20 years, and that will be a big deal for all of our 11 member school districts," LaVerde said. The solar field also would reduce the complex's carbon footprint and help it achieve energy independence. The school plans to add solar panels annually. "Our plan is to add to the array every single year, even if it's just by a handful of panels to teach students the installation process," LaVerde said. The biggest benefit of the solar project, LaVerde said, would be the "living lab" on school grounds. "It will be a teaching tool for our students," LaVerde said. "That's one of our main motivations for this project. Renewable energy is not going away, and this will provide opportunities for hands-on learning right on our site." And that will benefit industry and communities as well as students, acting state education Secretary Carrie Rowe said. "These projects turn school buildings into living laboratories where students gain real-world experience in clean energy technology," Rowe said in a statement. "Whether it's through hands-on STEM education or technical training in solar installation and maintenance, this initiative prepares students for in-demand careers and helps ensure Pennsylvania's workforce is ready to lead in the 21st Century economy." Total cost of the solar project is estimated at $1.2 million. The Solar for Schools grant and government renewable energy incentives are expected to cover more than $900,000 of that cost. In Girard Township: Erie County's first commercial solar farm "The lift for us locally will be about one-quarter of the cost, and we expect that will be paid off in energy savings in four to five years," LaVerde said. The solar field could be completed next summer. Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@ This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Coming to Erie County Technical School: A solar energy field
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Cambria board hears from prospective solar contractors
EBENSBURG, Pa. – Central Cambria School District's solar project at the Cambria Township campus has been narrowed down to two candidates, and Monday the school board heard from those prospects. BAI Group presented first, followed by McClure Co. and Envinity, which are partnering on the potential work. The order was decided by a coin flip. 'Both were fantastic,' Superintendent Jason Moore said. Thomas Woods, board president, agreed. Woods said the companies have 'solid reputations' in this field and the representatives provided great information. The district is exploring a power purchase agreement in which the chosen company, which will likely be picked at the June 16 meeting, will absorb the cost of installation and upkeep for the solar arrays and sell electricity to Central Cambria at a set rate for the duration of a 28-year contract. Potential array locations include the middle and high school roofs and Cambria Elementary roof as well as potential ground mounted units, such as around the football field or at the former baseball field. Moore said the Jackson Elementary project that recently was awarded a Solar for Schools grant is separate from this undertaking. Sel Edor, BAI general manager of renewables, told the four board members in attendance that his company could provide a roughly 2.5 megawatt array that would supply electricity at a rate of 6.4 cents per kilowatt-hours. 'Obviously, we want to produce as much electricity as you can use,' Edor said. BAI's proposal was for 80% of the campus's total electrical consumption. Central Cambria consumes around 4 million kWh annually at a rate of 11 cents per kWh, for a cost of around $700,000 per year, Moore said. Edor said despite BAI's proposal being 80%, it is possible for the Cambria Township campus to reach 100% offset of consumption. McClure and Envinity's presentation included 100% offset of electrical use at about 9 cents kWh. However, that would mean 'a lot of solar in a lot of places,' Envinity Commercial Solar Development Manager Cam Willison said. Christopher Stultz, McClure vice president of strategic solutions, said the cost per kilowatt-hour may change as well if their proposal is accepted. He told the board the companies would 'value engineer' the project and explore efficiency measures that could impact that cost. Greg Winks, Envinity director of solar business development, and Damian Zampogna, McClure Manager of renewable solutions, presented as well. Both sets of presenters said a ballasted system would be used for roof installation to avoid direct connections to the covering but still secure the arrays. They also projected the installation may extend more than a year. Woods said the reason the board is exploring a solar project is because the district wants to offset costs they can't control, such as electricity, and reinvest those savings back into the education of the students. He also said that when a contractor is chosen, the board will pay close attention to the economic and aesthetic aspects of the undertaking.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Old Forge School District receives $400,000 solar grant
Old Forge School District officials will look into solar power for the district thanks to funding from a state grant. The district received $400,000 through the Solar for Schools program, state Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, announced this week. The money will be used to support the installation of solar energy infrastructure at the district, his office said in a news release. Flynn added it will help reduce long-term energy costs and promote sustainability in school operations. Superintendent Christopher Gatto said the idea of putting solar panels in the district came about prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when he, then-Superintendent Erin Keating, Ed.D., and Business Manager Brian Rinaldi met with a solar company representative that reached out to them. He said they were interested at the time, but when the pandemic occurred, the project got put on the back burner. Gatto decided to apply for the grant after speaking with state Rep. Jim Haddock, D-118, Pittston Twp., in the fall. He said securing the funding for a project like installing solar panels makes it easier to pursue and he's grateful to receive the funds. 'For a district our size, any dollar that we can get goes a long way,' Gatto said. The board approved his request to apply for the grant in January. He plans to issue a request for proposals for companies to install the panels, assess the district property and figure out what array works for the district from a financial and land-use perspective. The district had an assessment done of its buildings and property to determine the feasibility for solar energy and as part of the application process. Officials have not determined how many panels will be installed or where they would be installed. They are figuring out their cost, what the district can afford, what the grant will cover and what money will be set aside for them. Gatto said the decision where the panels will be installed would need to be made in consultation with the company that is awarded the bid. 'We need to assess what works best for us from the standpoint of offsetting our electricity costs and also the property and how we utilize the property and what spots we could use,' he said. Gatto said there is potential for the district to save $2.7 million over 30 years and the project would pay for itself in approximately three years. He hopes power generated by the panels will offset as much of what the district spends on electricity as possible, allowing officials to use money normally spent for electricity on other things. The panels can also be used from an educational standpoint. Gatto said he envisions science classes using them. Established in July of last year, the Solar for Schools program provides grants to school districts, intermediate units, charter schools, career and technical schools, chartered schools for the education of the deaf or blind, community colleges and technology colleges to cover solar project costs, including aiding in the purchase and installation of equipment, permit fees, energy storage and utility interconnection. The program is administered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development and funded through the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The Hanover Area School District in Luzerne County was also awarded $400,000 to install solar panels on the roof of the high school. Local Share Account grants In addition to the Solar for Schools program, the Commonwealth Financing Authority also funded Local Share Account grants for multiple projects in Lackawanna County. Those projects and the amounts awarded to them are: • Archbald American Legion Post 328, HVAC system and window replacement, $38,000. • Ballet Theater of Scranton, new theater equipment, $42,393. • Blakely, new vehicle for the Police Department, $65,000. • Carbondale, new trailer-mounted sewer jet machine, $75,000 • Carbondale Little League, purchase and installation of new field lights at Russell Park, $59,375. • Clarks Green, Municipal Building emergency generator project, $49,140. • Clarks Summit, new patrol vehicle, $66,211. • Connell Park, Scranton, equipment, backstop and driveway reconstruction, $30,791. • Dickson City, commercial enforcement vehicle, $80,000. • Dunmore School District, paving and security upgrades, $100,000. • Eynon Sturges Volunteer Hose Company No. 3, paving and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility improvements, $30,000. • Glenburn Twp., compact wheel loader purchase, $106,000. • Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, South Abington Twp., purchase and installation of a new HVAC system, $105,000. • Hospice of the Sacred Heart, Dunmore, equipment, flooring replacement and building repairs, $50,000. • Indo American Community of Scranton, equipment project, $51,143. • Jessup VFW Post 5544, building renovations, $50,000. • Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour, site improvements, $125,000. • Lackawanna County, trail maintenance equipment project, $81,000. • La Festa Italiana of Lackawanna County, equipment and storage project, $80,895. • Lakeland School District, playground renovation at Mayfield Elementary School, $50,000. • Mayfield Police Department, new vehicle, $50,000. • Minooka Athletic Association, field updates, $19,789. • Moosic, new Police Department vehicle, $85,781. • Moosic Little League, lighting and field project, $121,052. • North Scranton Little League, batting cage project, $100,000. • Old Forge, two new police vehicles, $102,130. • Olyphant, updates and renovations to the downtown area, $67,684. • Scranton Cultural Center, restoration project, $74,535. • Scranton Preparatory School, lighting project, $113,260. • Scranton Tennis Club, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility project, $110,000. • South Abington Twp., police vehicle purchase, $67,000. • Taylor Memorial Cemetery, improvements, $104,450. • Waverly Twp. Police Department, equipment upgrades, $39,849.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State officials announce solar grant for Central Cambria
EBENSBURG, Pa. – Central Cambria School District has earned a Solar for Schools grant to install solar energy at Jackson Elementary School in Jackson Township. State Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Richland Township, and state Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township, announced the news Tuesday. 'Every dollar a school district spends on energy is a dollar it can't spend on educating children,' Langerholc said in a release. 'This grant will help pay for a project that will save taxpayer dollars and free up funds for education.' Burns said in a statement that elected officials heard Central Cambria's request for assistance and are happy to help. 'We took their message to heart and now they will benefit from a state grant to help them reduce their electricity bills by generating their own electricity,' Burns said. 'It's advanced thinking like this that will help the district save costs and enable the districts to focus more on educating students and supporting their teachers.' Central Cambria will receive $148,256 to purchase and install a 181-kilowatt system on the elementary roof. The total project cost is estimated to be $370,640, and the average annual savings to the district is expected to be $22,374. Solar for Schools is a novel competitive grant program created in 2024 and funded through the 2024-25 budget.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pa. awards $22.5 million in Solar for Schools grants to help 73 schools reduce energy costs
A solar array. (Robert Zullo/ States Newsroom) Pennsylvania has awarded grants totaling $22.5 million to 73 schools across the state to help pay for solar energy installations, the Commonwealth Financing Authority announced Tuesday. The awards under the Department of Community and Economic Development's Solar for Schools program will provide up to $500,000 to each school. The solar arrays they help pay for could save school districts millions of dollars in energy costs, state Rep. Elizabeth Fieldler (D-Philadelphia) said. 'I am so happy for each of these schools and excited to see names from nearly every corner of the state,' Fiedler, who introduced legislation to create the program last year, said. 'I've heard from rural schools who plan to include their solar panels in agricultural education and from city schools that are thinking strategically about rooftop solar with limited space. I have no doubt that the recipients will benefit from the program's flexibility to meet their school's needs and to make the most of their strengths.' The grant awards come as the legislature is preparing for the final month before the state budget is due June 30. The current budget included up to $25 million for the Solar for Schools program and Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed to match that amount in the upcoming budget. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Fiedler's bill, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly with broad bipartisan support last summer, was created as a way to address the school funding crisis, rising utility costs and climate change together, her office said. 'As energy costs rise, diversifying our energy sources is more important than ever. Increased energy usage throughout the country also puts us at a higher risk because of the inadequate power grid,' state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Greene) said. 'Schools that use solar panels will counteract that problem by improving Pennsylvania's energy security and lowering costs – saving millions of dollars of taxpayer money.' It also received strong support from building trade unions, whose members will benefit from the construction jobs the grants help to create. 'These new projects through Solar for Schools will open up doors for workers across the state,' said Robert S. Bair, president of the Pennsylvania Building Trades Council. 'Energy jobs are crucial in Pennsylvania. Labor needs to be on the forefront of growing industries like solar.' Union support was, in part, the result of a yearslong effort to strengthen relationships between environmental and labor advocates, who recognize the adoption of renewable energy sources requires skilled workers just as fossil fuel plants do. In the initial round of applications for Solar for School, districts from rural, suburban and urban areas requested $88 million, more than three times the amount available in the current budget. The grants awarded totaled less than the full $25 million because the money is divided between three regions and the DCED did not find enough qualifying applications in one of them, Fiedler said. While interest in renewable energy is growing and political support for such programs is broadening, solar energy still faces hurdles in state government. With the overwhelming response to the initial appropriation, Fiedler said she is hopeful that at least another $25 million Solar for Schools will be approved as part of the next budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
