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“The Solar for Schools program was created by a bill Gov. Josh Shapiro signed in July and funded with $25 million of state money in this year’s budget.
The program will provide grants covering up to half the costs of solar energy equipment and installation.
It’s meant to help schools make the most of federal tax credits made available to public institutions like schools under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. These can reimburse districts for up to 30% or 50% of the cost of solar projects, based on factors such as their location in a low-income community or an ‘energy community,’ which is defined by unemployment rates and the presence of brownfield sites, retired coal mines or coal-fired power plants.”
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the previous administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. While reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions by 19%, Alliance members increased their collective GDP by 30%. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
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