Roanoke Schools Makes TV News for Plans to Add Solar + Battery Storage

Earlier this year, Roanoke City Public Schools received a $450,000 grant award from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to outfit two of its high schools designated as emergency shelters with backup power from batteries. Plugged into the solar panels already installed on the schools, the batteries will operate as part of an innovative system to collect solar energy and then store it for later use.

The solar + storage plan is just the latest way that Roanoke Schools have been making news on clean energy.

Over the last couple years, the schools have been installing solar power systems at 32 locations, amassing an impressive 10.1 megawatts, giving them the largest solar power system of any K-12 school division in Virginia. The solar installations include restoration of roofs on several buildings. Roanoke Schools received both solar arrays and roof restoration at no upfront cost through a power purchase agreement with Secure Solar Futures.

At a time when schools across the state are facing budget challenges, solar power is slated to save Roanoke schools $60.2 million, money that the schools can re-invest in their core mission of educating students.

“It’s just a good way to save money. We’ve got roof restorations. We’ve got roof replacement costs covered. And there’s really no upfront operational cost for the schools. And we save money. It’s really unique,” Jeff Shawver, RCPS Senior Director of Plants, told WDBJ TV-7 news.

Now, adding batteries and connecting them to the solar arrays will give Roanoke the first solar-powered emergency shelters at schools in Virginia.

“Heat, water, the battery storage will provide that for our community. Without the, the diesel generators running. It saves us; it just gives us that redundancy once again. To provide shelters for our community. Because we’re the only ones that have emergency power backups,” Shawver told WDBJ.

The scale is impressive also, with each school hosting about a megawatt of solar capacity and scheduled to receive 4 megawatt-hours each of battery storage, for a total of 8 megawatt-hours of stored power on its system.

As Virginia, the data center capital of the world, grapples with spiking demand from tech company facilities for electric power, battery energy storage has become one of the hottest topics in the news. That, along with the large size of Roanoke’s project, might explain why the story received extensive coverage in the news media, bringing positive attention to the schools.

Here’s just a sampling of the stories that have come out so far:

1. “Roanoke City schools are saving money by going solar,” Virginia Independent News, March 2, 2026
2. “Microgrids Bolster Roanoke City Public Schools’ Emergency Shelter Capabilities, Lower Utility Costs,” Microgrid Knowledge Magazine, March 1, 2026
3. “Solar project to help Roanoke schools save money,” WDBJ-TV Roanoke, VA, March 1, 2026
4. “Roanoke school division receives grant for solar-powered microgrid,” Cardinal News, Roanoke, VA, March 1, 2026
5. “Staunton company to build microgrid for Roanoke High Schools Acting as Shelters,” Charlottesville Daily Progress, Feb. 28, 2026 (requires subscription to view)
6. “Roanoke City Public Schools receives $450,000 state grant to build solar-powered microgrid,” WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA, Feb. 25, 2026
7. “Schools receive $450K grant,” Roanoke Times, Feb. 25, 2026 (requires subscription to view)
8. “Roanoke City schools awarded $450,000 to construct solar energy grid for emergency shelters,” WXFR-TV, Roanoke, VA, Feb. 24, 2026

Along with money savings, the solar + storage project will offer educational opportunities to students. As WDBJ reported, “The school division said the new microgrid system will give students hands-on learning opportunities related to solar and battery technology. Shawver said having the system on school grounds allows students to monitor it directly as part of their curriculum.”