Is Your Solar Business Working With Schools? | New Study on Solar in Schools

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November 12, 2014 | By RGR Marketing Blog

America's Educational Institutions Go Solar and Save Money

We’ve discussed the potential of marketing your services to large-scale commercial entities like professional sports teams that can benefit from solar, but we haven’t discussed the opportunities that abound when you consider the nation’s school system. In a recent report (the first of its kind, released this fall), a comprehensive solar study revealed phenomenal growth in the use of solar power, just during the most recent decade. To clarify – by phenomenal, we’re talking about an uptick from just 303 kilowatts of installed capacity, all the way up to 457,000 kilowatts.

And during that time, the study also shows that in the nation’s school system, carbon emissions were reduced by as much as 442,799 metric tons, annually. According to the report, that’s “the equivalent of saving 50 million gallons of gasoline a year or taking nearly 100,000 cars off U.S. highways.” And while many schools around the country have started to make the switch over to solar energy, there’s plenty more out there who either have more capacity left, or who have not even started the process yet. So what is your solar energy company doing to capture that business?

The First National Assessment of Solar Energy in Schools

The study, put together by The Solar Foundation, stands as the very first of its kind – providing industry professionals with a bird’s-eye view of just how much solar energy has helped bring clean energy to schools across the U.S. In terms of the incentive or motivation offered by the report, the numbers don’t lie, and schools appear to be hacking away at utility bills just by making the switch over to solar. With the savings, schools are able to purchase new textbooks and to pay teacher salaries, further extending the benefits.

The report also goes on to say there are many more schools that have yet to move over to solar energy. Despite the progress outlined by the study, solar potential still looks virtually untapped. With 125,000 schools in the country, between 40,000 and 72,000 could still make a cost-effective switch to solar power.

Here are the report’s key findings:

There are 3,752 K-12 schools in the U.S. with solar installations
Nearly 2.7 million students attend schools with solar energy systems.
The 3,727 PV systems have a combined capacity of 490 megawatts
The PV systems generate roughly 642,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year, which represents a combined $77.8 million per year in utility bills ‒ an average of almost $21,000 per year per school.

Even More Good News About Solar Power in Schools

Analysis conducted on study elements found that there are 450 school districts around the country – who just by installing a solar PV system on campus – could save more than $1,000,000 in energy costs over a thirty-year period. And that’s $1,000,000 worth of savings at each school, not all 450 combined. When we look around at reforming our educational system, cutting costs and hiring new teachers at competitive salaries, going solar appears to be a great solution.

Clean energy benefits the planet and allows us to begin teaching a valuable environmental lesson to children when they are the most likely to absorb the message. Beyond that, the amount of savings that directly benefits schools around the country can flow back into programs, hiring, and building.

The Trend Appears to Be Recent, Too

Details in the study show that much of the growth in solar power across the nation’s schools has occurred just in the last six years, with more than 3,000 systems (of the total 3,752 installed) going on to campuses during that time. And according to the research, “solar installations on U.S. schools experienced a compound annual growth rate of 110 percent.”

If your solar installation business could use a serious shot in the arm, consider reading through the study to further assess the potential benefit of marketing your services to the nation’s schools. Leveraging tax credits and local, state, and federal incentives to go solar could reduce the barrier to entry – especially when you look at the cost savings over time.

Brighter Future: A Study on Solar in U.S. Schools was prepared by The Solar Foundation (TSF, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to increase understanding of solar energy through strategic research that educates the public and transforms markets) – with data and analysis support from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) – and funded through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot program.

[Photo Credit: TheSolarCo]

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America's Educational Institutions Go Solar and Save Money

The First National Assessment of Solar Energy in Schools

Even More Good News About Solar Power in Schools

The Trend Appears to Be Recent, Too

Start making more
money today!

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America's Educational Institutions Go Solar and Save Money

The First National Assessment of Solar Energy in Schools

Even More Good News About Solar Power in Schools

The Trend Appears to Be Recent, Too

Start making more money today!

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