Secure Solar Futures, a provider of on-site clean energy based in Staunton, signed an agreement with Prince William County Public Schools to install solar power systems on 12 school sites.
Installation will begin this spring and is expected to conclude by the end of 2023.
Prince William County Public Schools joins other school systems including Augusta, Albemarle, Lee and Wise counties, as well as the cities of Richmond, Waynesboro and Lexington, who will have installed solar systems on school sites.
The combined solar arrays, with a capacity of 7.9 megawatts total, will save the Prince William County school district more than $16 million in energy costs over the next 25 years.
The schools will receive solar power with no upfront capital investment through a 25-year power purchase agreement with Secure Solar Futures. The company will own and operate all solar equipment and sell the power to the schools at a rate lower than the local electric utility during the term of the agreement.
With an enrollment of more than 90,000 students, Prince William County Public Schools is the 34th largest school district in the United States and the second largest in Virginia.
The 12 schools in Prince William County to receive solar power include:
- Battlefield High School
- Freedom High School
- Gainesville High School
- Beville Middle School
- Potomac Shores Middle School
- Chris Yung Elementary School
- Covington-Harper Elementary School
- Jenkins Elementary School
- Kilby Elementary School
- Kyle Wilson Elementary School
- Leesylvania Elementary School
- Minnieville Elementary School
“One of the largest school districts in the country going solar makes Prince William County Schools a national leader on clean energy and sustainability,” said Ryan McAllister, CEO of Secure Solar Futures. “The schools will showcase solar power systems right on location. That will send a powerful message to students that they don’t have to wait for the clean energy economy to arrive in the future. It’s already here.”
All 12 solar arrays at Prince William County Public Schools will be installed on roofs of school buildings. Combined, the systems will use 16,192 Tier 1 USA-made solar modules manufactured by Heliene at their facility in Minnesota.
Once the solar power systems are completed, each year Prince William County Public Schools will produce enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 877 homes and avoid 4,507 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the same amount sequestered by 5,333 acres of forest.
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Crystal Graham
