MCS solar project will benefit students for decades

Last updated on August 26, 2020

Macon County School Stem Coordinator Jennifer Love spoke to the Macon County Board of Education Monday night about the N.C. GreenPower Solar Panel Project

Macon STEM is currently raising the $6,000 needed for the matching portion of the grant, which will install a solar panel at Mountain View Intermediate School. The total cost of the project is $27,000. The grant is providing a 5.22 kW solar array plus a weather station, real-time data monitoring, STEM Curriculum from NEED.org and training for our teachers.  Our school is one of 10 schools in the state to receive this opportunity.

According to Love, the solar project would generate $800 per year in electrical savings for the next 40 years, for a total of approximately $32,000 in savings.

In October 2003, NC GreenPower was launched to supplement North Carolina’s existing power supply with more renewable energy. At its 10-year anniversary, in 2013, NC GreenPower began assessing other initiatives and the potential of supporting PV solar projects that would make a broader impact on local communities. The result was the NC GreenPower Solar Schools pilot program. In Solar Schools’ first four years in action, it has reached 27 North Carolina schools in 22 counties, bringing solar and energy education to more than 23,000 students.

Introduced on April 1, 2015, Solar Schools uses a portion of NC GreenPower donations to provide matching grants for small PV systems at North Carolina schools. All K-12 schools are eligible, though preference may be given to those in economically distressed counties as defined by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Through the program, schools receive a 50% matching grant up to $10,000 for solar systems and are then tasked with raising the remainder of the costs. As of Monday, the program has raised $1,000 of the $6,000 needed by the end of September. If funds are not raised, the money that has already been raised will be redistributed to other schools who have applied for grants.

To make a donation online, visit https://donate.ncgreenpower.org/team/301302. To make a donation by check, make payable to “NC GreenPower” and be sure to note MVI in the “memo” section of the check. Mail to NC GreenPower, Attn: Solar Schools, 909 Capability Drive, Suite 2100, Raleigh, NC 27607. Donations to NC GreenPower on behalf of the school are tax deductible. For questions regarding this project, contact Jennifer Love at (828)524-3314.