NC GreenPower Announces 2018 Solar Schools Grant Recipients

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June 26, 2018

The NC GreenPower Solar Schools grant program awards five more North Carolina schools with educational solar installations

State Employees’ Credit Union members increase their support for 2018 Solar Schools

RALEIGH, NC – NC GreenPower is pleased to award five more North Carolina schools each with a grant worth up to $15,000 for the installation of an educational solar photovoltaic (PV) array on the campus of their school. They join 14 other grant recipients since the pilot program launched in 2015. The NC GreenPower Board of Directors’ review committee met this spring to evaluate applications and make selections for 2018’s pilot program.

The five selected schools are:

Now in the fourth year of the pilot, the staff is confident about the positive future of NC GreenPower Solar Schools. “This year’s response to our Solar Schools program is the highest we’ve seen since we launched the program, and we are so excited to add schools from the Triad and Eastern North Carolina. By the end of 2018, we will have reached more than 23,000 students at schools across the state. We are looking forward to providing each of these five schools with our educational solar installation,” said Vicky McCann, vice president of NC GreenPower.

The selected schools will have until Friday, October 12, 2018 to raise their funds and will utilize the NC GreenPower fundraising website, my.NCGreenPower.org. My NCGreenPower is an online community that allows advocates of a cleaner, greener environment to join together for fundraising. Donations as little as $1 can be made to support any campaign.

The NC GreenPower Solar Schools program is open to all public and private K-12 schools in North Carolina. The installed solar PV systems serve as educational tools in the classroom but also provide an energy impact, likely producing enough renewable energy to power a school’s main office. The solar arrays have generated an average of 8,026 kilowatt (kW) hours annually, potentially saving schools up to $803 per year. For updates about the pilot, visit www.ncgreenpower.org/solar-schools.

NC GreenPower is also pleased to announce that the member-funded State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation is increasing its 2018-2019 support for the Solar Schools program. The SECU Foundation’s contribution of $150,000 will provide challenge grants to 10 K-12 public schools over the next two years, awarding each school $15,000. This will help to increase the size of their solar installation from 3 kW to 5 kW.

“SECU members are happy to continue their support for the Solar Schools program – helping NC GreenPower expand the organization’s educational and incentive programs to promote green energy sources,” remarked Cynthia Jolly, SECU Foundation board chair. “It’s a valuable program not only for the electricity savings generated for the schools, but also for the exciting opportunity to engage students in the field of solar-generated power.”
McCann continued, “We are so grateful to State Employees’ Credit Union members for their support over the last decade and look forward to our continued partnership to help improve the environment and support education in our state.”

About NC GreenPower

With the mission of improving the quality of the environment in North Carolina, the nonprofit NC GreenPower was founded in 2003 as a statewide program. NC GreenPower helps to connect consumers with renewable energy and carbon offset providers to create positive environmental and economic impacts for our state. All projects supported by the program are located in North Carolina. In 2015, NC GreenPower launched a new pilot to support solar PV installations at K-12 schools. Contributions to NC GreenPower are tax-deductible. For more information, visit www.ncgreenpower.org.

About SECU and the SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for nearly 80 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services, including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves 2.2 million members through 257 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone, and a website, www.ncsecu.org. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded solely by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services. Since 2005, the SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of more than $130 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.