North Carolina Ranked 3rd Nationally for Solar Power Overall but 31st for Solar on Schools, Says Report
May 20 Webinar to Feature School Administrators Talking about How Neighboring Virginia Jumped Quickly to from 20th to 8th Place for Solar Schools
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- North Carolina currently ranks at an impressive 3rd place for total solar power capacity. But the state comes in at a dismal 31st place nationally for solar schools, according to the Brighter Future report released in 2020 by Generation180, a national non-profit organization that advocates for campuses to get more access to solar power. Only 57 schools in North Carolina have solar energy systems installed on campus.
According to the report, the neighboring state with the largest number of solar schools is Virginia. Since 2017, Virginia schools rapidly jumped an awe-inspiring 12 spots — from 20th place to 8th place nationwide. The number of schools in Virginia that installed solar power on campus grew from 29 to 89 in two years and the capacity installed expanded 10-fold, from 1.9 megawatts to more than 20 megawatts.
"Solar on schools in Virginia really took off when Power Purchase Agreements were allowed in the territory of the state's biggest electric utility," said Ryan McAllister, CEO of Secure Futures Solar, which pioneered solar power with no upfront cost for schools in Virginia. "PPAs are not allowed anywhere in North Carolina yet, but the North Carolina leasing program started in 2017 does allow a service agreement that offers some of the same benefits, including solar on campus at no upfront cost."
In the past, financing arrangements that allowed schools in Virginia to get solar with no upfront cost were illegal in North Carolina. But a 2017 law authorized solar equipment leasing in North Carolina, removing the primary barrier for schools and many others to acquiring a solar energy system.
"Schools don't have to pay upfront costs for arrays," explains Tish Tablan of Generation180, who co-authored the Brighter Future report. "School boards and administrators don't have to figure how to squeeze that out of a tight budget."
To introduce K-12 schools in North Carolina, both public and independent, to the new option to go solar without upfront cost in the Tar Heel State, Secure Futures is holding a webinar on Thursday, May 20 featuring school officials from Virginia talking about their experience with on-campus solar power under a similar program:
- Dr. Eric Bond, superintendent of Augusta County Public Schools, will discuss benefits for education, especially through our hands-on STEM curriculum taught jointly with the Science Museum of Virginia, Throwing Solar Shade®. He'll also talk about how solar power is set to save his schools $495,000 over 20 years.
- Facilities Specialist Doug Arnold at Orange County Public Schools will talk about money savings, how to work with a school board to approve a project and how roof restoration was rolled into their solar agreement.
Schools that go solar can put energy savings towards other priorities, from raising salaries for teachers to providing students with laptops. Extra money can be especially helpful in the Covid-19 pandemic for public schools hit by declining tax revenues or independent schools with student enrollment down.
"Helping schools make the switch to solar can uplift our communities, drive our stalled economy and insulate our schools from the effects of climate change," says Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. "It's rare to find a solution that can solve many challenges at once."
Secure Futures is among a handful of providers authorized by the North Carolina Utilities Commission to offer distributed solar power through the state's solar equipment leasing program. Secure Futures' proprietary financing, a Solar Self-Generation Agreement®, offers an additional advantage to schools. Unlike a traditional solar equipment lease, the SGA® allows Secure Futures to pass along savings from the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit to tax-exempt customers including both public and independent schools. The solar ITC was recently extended by Congress through 2022 at a rate of 26 percent.
Event Details:
Webinar for North Carolina K-12 Schools
Going Solar at No Upfront Cost
Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 1:30 pm Eastern
Open to school superintendents, principals, faculty, staff, students and parents
Free of charge. Register in advance at https://securefutures.solar/north-carolina/.
About Secure Futures, LLC
As a market and policy leader, Secure Futures builds, owns, manages and funds affordable Resilient Solar Solutions® for hospitals, schools and businesses. The company combines state-of–the-art solar technology with an innovative business model to make commercial scale solar readily affordable in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, helping customers to realize the economic, environmental, and community benefits of solar energy. In 2017, Secure Futures became a Certified B Corporation®. Find the company online at www.securefutures.solar.
Contact:
Erik Curren, Secure Futures Solar
[email protected]
540-466-6128
SOURCE Secure Futures LLC
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