Prince William County Schools
Leading The Next Generation to Renewable Energy
Secure Solar Futures teamed up to make solar arrays a reality and save the district more than $14.3 million in energy costs over the next 25 years. Enrolling nearly 90,000 students, Prince William County Public Schools is the second largest school system in Virginia.
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 projected to be lower than the local electric utility during the term of the agreement. At the end of 25 years, for no additional cost, the schools will take ownership of the solar power system, which will continue to produce power at high levels for 35 years or more.
Secure Solar offers its unique program in citizen science, Throwing Solar Shade®. Developed in conjunction with the Science Museum of Virginia and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education, TSS gives high school students the chance to spend a semester working in teams with students from other school divisions across Virginia researching and making presentations on solar power, heat islands and related topics.
In addition, at no additional cost, and in conjunction with National Energy Education Development (NEED), Secure Solar Futures also offers a classroom curriculum that complies with Virginia Standards of Learning from grades K-12. The curriculum includes teacher training, lesson plans and hands-on kits for science experiments on sustainable power.
The Challenge
Help one of the nation’s largest school districts start to go solar
The Result
11 campuses, in the nation’s 34th largest school district, generating new power with a capacity of 7 megawatts.