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https://electrek.co/2026/08/28/1-in-7-us-students-now-goes-to-a-solar-powered-school/>
"Solar power now powers more than 10,800 US K-12 schools – that means 1 in 7
students goes to a school powered by the sun – but battery storage hasn’t quite
caught on yet.
That’s more than 7 million students, according to the sixth edition of
Generation180’s
Brighter Future report, which tracks solar and battery
storage at US schools. The data is current through April 2026.
The number of solar-powered schools has nearly doubled from 5,450 in 2016,
while their combined solar capacity has more than tripled to over 2.4
gigawatts. Generation180 says that’s enough solar to cover the annual
electricity use of more than 450,000 homes – roughly every household in Austin,
Texas.
And for cash-strapped school districts, solar can mean a lot more money stays
in the classroom.
Roanoke City Public Schools in Virginia, for example, is installing nearly 9.4
megawatts (MW) of solar across 29 sites. The district estimates that solar
alone will save it $46.5 million in energy costs over 35 years.
“This report shows that school solar is no longer concentrated in just a few
places. Urban, suburban, and rural school districts across the country are
using clean energy to reduce costs, improve facilities, and prepare students
for the economy of the future,” said Tish Tablan, lead report author and senior
director of Generation180’s Electrify Our Schools program.
California leads the country with 2,921 solar-powered schools, followed by New
Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Arizona.
But some of the fastest recent growth is happening elsewhere. Virginia,
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York added the most new solar
capacity at schools between 2021 and 2025. Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Virginia, and Massachusetts were also among the states that added the most
solar-powered schools."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
