By Ellie Wilkoff

School districts face a unique challenge: supporting positive outcomes for students and teachers while managing aging buildings, changing enrollment, and increasing utility costs. Electricity has become one of the most unpredictable and daunting budget items for schools, driven by rising demand on the grid and double-digit electricity rate increases in many regions.

To address rising energy costs, an increasing number of educational institutions are adopting on-site solar power as a long-term, strategic solution. This enables schools to stabilize operating budgets, better meet sustainability commitments, and reinvest savings into educational priorities.

Hedging Energy Costs with Predictable Power

Unlike other budget expenses, energy costs can fluctuate constantly because of differences in fuel prices, infrastructure constraints, and regional demand. K-12 schools across states like Georgia have experienced steep, ongoing rate hikes that are outpacing inflation. Even with proper planning for these potential impacts, school districts continue to experience significant strain, forcing them to consider alternative options.

On-site solar power enables schools to offset a significant portion of their electricity use and insulates budgets from future utility rate increases. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, schools with on-site solar can reduce electricity costs by 20% to 40%, depending on system size and energy usage patterns. For districts managing dozens of facilities, those savings can add up quickly. For example, this is especially beneficial during hot summer afternoons when grid power is most expensive, because the solar power system produces energy when grid demand peaks.

Solar Without the Upfront Cost

Historically, concerns about capital investment and technical maintenance kept school districts from adopting solar. But today, third-party ownership models, such as Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), or Solar Energy Procurement Agreements (SEPAs) in Georgia, have become the preferred path for schools. Through these long-term energy agreements, schools can lock in steady electricity pricing for 20 to 30 years, creating budget certainty that supports better financial planning. By adopting this model, the solar providers design, install, own, and maintain the system. The schools pay only for the energy produced on site, which is often cheaper than utility-supplied power.

The model offers many benefits for schools, including eliminating upfront capital costs and shifting operational and performance risk away from the school. It also helps districts avoid the intricacy and staffing demands that have sometimes accompanied traditional energy-service contracts (ESCOs).

ESCO projects often require active district involvement, including additional fees, and rely on savings estimates that can be overshadowed by rapid year-over-year increases in utility rates. In

contrast, third-party solar energy agreements are preferred because they reduce reliance on utility-supplied electricity and provide transparent, fixed pricing per kilowatt-hour produced. These agreements are easy to track through monthly bills and are directly tied to actual energy production.

Rooftops, Canopies and Smart Design

Rooftop solar, a system of solar panels installed on the roof of a building to generate electricity for the building, remains the most cost-effective and widely recommended option for most K-12 schools. Today鈥檚 modern systems are commonly designed using non-penetrating mounting systems, helping schools maintain roof warranties and meet facility standards.

When roof space is limited or when a school wants added value, such as shaded parking or walkway coverage, solar canopies offer an excellent alternative. These canopies are structures with solar panels mounted on top. While they often carry higher upfront costs compared to rooftop arrays, they help maximize generation in limited spaces and can provide additional value to campus operations, such as shade and weather protection.

Schools planning new construction or upcoming roof replacements can unlock significant long-term benefits by incorporating solar considerations from day one. This includes leaving adequate roof space for panels, engaging a solar provider early in the design process, and planning for additional electrical equipment. Taking these steps upfront helps avoid costly retrofits.

Strengthening Community Connection and Student Engagement

Apart from economic benefits, solar installations create visible proof of a school鈥檚 commitment to sustainability and energy stewardship. As sustainability factors increasingly influence school-choice decisions, on-site solar projects can become a source of pride and an asset for building community trust and reputation.

Solar installations also create more educational opportunities for students and guardians. Schools can incorporate solar into their curriculum by using real-time energy data in math and science classes, hosting classroom presentations on renewable energy, and using solar systems as hands-on learning tools for STEM education.

Reinvesting Savings Towards Students

For many, the most compelling impact of solar is what schools can do with the energy cost savings. Reduced energy expenses allow schools to allocate their budgets toward instructional programs, technology upgrades, facility improvements, and student services.

Schools have used energy cost savings from on-site solar to:

• Expand STEM and career-readiness programs.
• Invest in classroom equipment and structural framework.
• Support extracurricular activities.
• Address repairs without cutting instructional courses.

By lowering fixed operating costs, solar enables schools to stretch their budget without raising tuition or diverting funds from instruction.

Solar as a Long-Term Strategy

Energy demand continues to rise, fueled by regional grid constraints, data center expansions, and overall increasing electrification. Solar is becoming a foundational element of K-12 infrastructure strategy. Future-focused schools are integrating solar into new construction projects, roof replacements, and long-term capital improvement plans to maximize value and minimize disruption.

Rather than a one-off sustainability initiative, solar is becoming a standard tool for economic durability and operational functionality.

From the Rooftop Into the Classroom

Cherry Street Energy works with schools and school districts in Georgia. Schools like Atlanta International School, Woodward Academy, Stratford Academy, and the Friends School of Atlanta have benefited from Cherry Street鈥檚 model not only in a spreadsheet, but in the classroom as well. Cherry Street鈥檚 model enables schools to add more solar power systems to their facilities, and allows educators to leverage the company鈥檚 expertise with students. Team members from Cherry Street frequently collaborate with teachers and administrators to help their students and communities to learn more about solar energy.

“This initiative provides both environmental leadership and crucial financial protection for our school’s future,” said Kevin Glass, head of school at Atlanta International School. “By hedging against rising energy costs while supporting our sustainability goals, we’re ensuring that our resources can continue to focus on delivering world-class education to our students.”

Ellie Wilkoff is Utility Data Manager at Cherry Street Energy.

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鈥淥nce installed, our system will be the largest rooftop PV system in Wisconsin,鈥� said Ken Walz, chemistry and engineering instructor and director of the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education (CREATE), in a statement. 鈥淥n a sunny day, the system will reduce the college鈥檚 peak electric load by about 50 percent. Averaged over an entire year, it will offset about 10 to 15 percent of the college鈥檚 total electric consumption.鈥�

MGE and the college expect to announce the selection of a solar developer in August. System design and acquisition of equipment will follow. The college plans to involve students in the installation beginning in summer 2018. It should be completed in a few months.

鈥淲e know clean energy is important to our community,鈥� Walz added in a statement. 鈥淭hanks to the work of many people, including our students, faculty and MGE, we have bold plans for clean energy for our campus.鈥�

Madison College is one of three colleges behind CREATE, which works to advance renewable energy education by supporting two-year college renewable energy programs. The college has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation to develop curriculum, create new educational programs and train faculty and students throughout the country in renewable energy.

鈥淭his partnership between Madison College and MGE is a great opportunity for hands-on learning as students will be able to interact with the system on-site,鈥� said Dave Toso, P.E., senior engineer, MGE, in a statement. 鈥淲e look forward to working with Madison College and the students as they implement their new solar installation and learn about how new technologies are rapidly changing the energy landscape and our community grid.鈥�

Implementation of this project will save energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Electricity generated by the solar array will offset power that would have otherwise been generated using fossil fuels.

In addition to cost savings, the PV solar system will offer numerous benefits to Madison College students and community members. The proposal includes solar electric monitoring technology to provide output data for analysis by students and the public.

Accessible instructional space on the roof of the Truax Campus will allow renewable energy students to conduct periodic inspections of the system to check for signs of wear, weathering and maintenance needs, according to a statement by the college. Students enrolled in related fields such as electrical apprentice, electronics, electrical engineering, industrial maintenance and architecture will also benefit from having access to the PV installation.

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