NC GreenPower Announces 2022 Solar+ Schools Grant Recipients

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July 1, 2022

Contact: Katie Lebrato, Marketing Communications Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 29, 2022

RALEIGH, NC – NC GreenPower is pleased to award 20 North Carolina schools each with a solar educational package, valued at approximately $42,000. In addition to a solar array, the schools will receive donated SunPower solar modules, STEM curricula, teacher training and more.

The new schools join 56 other awardees since the Solar+ Schools program launched in 2015. NC GreenPower’s Board of Directors’ review committee met this spring to evaluate applications and make selections for 2022’s program. For the first time, 20 schools will be awarded solar installations, the most in the program’s history.

The schools who have currently accepted the grant are:

*Indicates new county to the NC GreenPower Solar+ Schools program

Six more schools will be announced later this summer, including one in Johnston County, another new county to the program.

“We are so excited to work in eight new counties, and in particular serving many schools from the Piedmont area. We look forward to continuing to educate younger generations about energy with these solar installations. By the end of next year, we will have reached more than 56,600 students across North Carolina,” said Vicky McCann, vice president of NC GreenPower.

Using NC GreenPower’s fundraising platform, each school has until September 30, 2022, to raise a portion of the funds required. Donations as little as $1 can be made to support any campaign. Visit our website, www.ncgreenpower.org, to find a fundraising campaign and learn how to donate.

The NC GreenPower Solar+ Schools program is open to all public and private K-12 schools in North Carolina. The installed photovoltaic systems, which are 5 kilowatts, serve as educational tools and 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-hours annually, potentially saving schools up to $800 per year. Collectively, NC GreenPower Solar+ Schools have saved an estimated $68,400 in electricity expenses since the program’s introduction in 2015. For updates about the program, visit www.ncgreenpower.org/solar-schools.

NC GreenPower is also happy to announce that the member-funded State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation is maintaining its generous support of Solar+ Schools. The SECU Foundation’s contribution will offer additional funding — up to $600,000 over the next three years — to assist with installation costs for ten selected public schools per year.

“We are pleased to continue our support for this expanding program that is providing positive and valuable results for schools, teachers and students around the state,” said Jama Campbell, SECU Foundation executive director. “Teaching students at an early age about solar as an energy source is important to our energy needs of today and tomorrow, and we appreciate NC GreenPower’s commitment to this educational effort.”

NC GreenPower’s McCann added, “We are appreciative of SECU members for their continued financial support and partnership, helping us improve the environment and increase solar education in our state.”

About NC GreenPower

Formed by Advanced Energy in 2003, NC GreenPower is a nonprofit whose mission is to expand public knowledge and acceptance of cleaner energy technologies to all North Carolinians through local, community-based initiatives.

Since NC GreenPower’s inception, donors have supported more than 1,125 local renewable energy and carbon offset projects, producing 1.06 billion kilowatt-hours of green energy and mitigating nearly 97,000 tons of greenhouse gases. In 2015, NC GreenPower launched Solar+ Schools to support solar photovoltaic installations at K-12 schools. Contributions to NC GreenPower are tax deductible. For more information, visit www.ncgreenpower.org.

About SECU and 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 85 years. SECU is the second largest credit union in the United States with $53 billion in assets and serves over 2.6 million members through 274 branch offices, over 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone, www.ncsecu.org and a Mobile App. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded 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 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of over $216 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.