ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Roanoke City Public Schools has announced a $2.55 million solar-powered microgrid energy storage project at William Fleming and Patrick Henry high schools, the first system of its kind at a public school division in Virginia.
The project will allow both schools to maintain power during outages without diesel generators. The two schools were selected because they are officially designated by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management as public emergency shelters, and their gymnasiums were originally designed for that purpose.
“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,” said Jeff Shawver, RCPS Senior Director of Plants.
The project is funded through a $450,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s 2026 Shelter Upgrade Assistance Fund, matched by a $2.1 million investment from solar developer Secure Solar Futures. The total outside financing of $2.55 million means the project will be completed at no cost to RCPS.
Once operational, the microgrid will also require no funds from RCPS to operate, as costs will be covered by energy savings and revenues from providing energy storage services to the Mid-Atlantic PJM grid. Additional financing has been committed by City National Bank and the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank.
RCPS has previously partnered with the Red Cross, the Department of Social Services, and City of Roanoke officials to coordinate emergency shelter services at both schools.
Each of the two high schools will host 1 megawatt of solar power generating capacity along with 4 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage, for a total of 8 megawatt-hours of storage across RCPS. The battery system is primarily designed for emergency storage, allowing the schools to power critical infrastructure, including gyms, kitchens, freezers, and other essential loads — when the grid goes down.
Shawver said the system also provides a layered backup approach.
“It’s really unique because currently we have emergency generators, which are powered by diesel, but this gives us the battery option without the diesel. We have backup to a backup,” Shawver said.
Secure Solar Futures CEO Tony Smith said the battery storage component will deliver savings beyond what solar panels alone can provide.
“Anything that can be done to save the money makes it possible for them to retain teachers and upgrade the technology in their schools,” Smith said.
During summer and winter months, when electricity demand is higher, the schools can draw from stored battery power to reduce costs. RCPS is also working with its local utility provider to sell excess stored power back to the grid during off-peak hours, such as weekends, to further offset energy bills.
“It’ll produce energy savings for the schools above what the solar can do on its own, because it’ll add to the school’s ability to shave their peak demand. So, the peak demand is the most costly part of the electric bill,” Smith said.
Both Shawver and Smith pointed to the 2012 derecho event that knocked out power across Roanoke for more than two weeks as a key example of why the battery storage will be more reliable than diesel generation.
Smith said the storm exposed a critical flaw in diesel-dependent backup systems.
“A lot of facilities that relied on diesel generation were unable to operate because the fatal flaw was that the diesel supply chain relied on being able to pull diesel out of a tank, and it required an electric pump. Well, without electricity, you couldn’t refuel the fuel trucks to deliver diesel for generators,” Smith said.
Shawver said the new system addresses that vulnerability directly.
“As we all experienced from the last winter storm, both high schools are the only emergency shelter that has backup emergency generation. So we were really prepared, if power went out, to serve that for our community,” Shawver said. “With this other arrangement that we have, the battery storage will provide that for our community without the diesel generators running.”
The microgrid project builds on an ongoing partnership between RCPS and Secure Solar Futures that began about eight years ago and resumed roughly two and a half years ago when the division was ready to consider a solar power purchase agreement.
The division currently has 10.1 megawatts of solar power capacity being installed across 32 RCPS locations, a project that also includes roof restorations on several buildings. Both the solar systems and roof repairs were provided at no upfront cost to the schools through a 25-year power purchase agreement.
Smith said the rooftop work includes reflective coatings that improve the performance of the bifacial solar panels while also providing schools a 25-year roof warranty at no cost to their capital budget.
When construction is completed by the end of 2026, solar power will cover 46.1% of William Fleming and Patrick Henry High Schools’ annual power usage.
The power purchase agreement is expected to save the division $60.2 million in avoided costs for electric power and roof repairs and replacements over 35 years. Smith said the combined solar projects will total more than 10 megawatts — the largest solar concentration at a public school district in Virginia.
The broader solar buildout has also received two separate incentive grants from the Coalfield Solar Fund, which is funded by financial technology platform Intuit and supports solar projects at K-12 schools and community colleges in Virginia and West Virginia communities historically associated with the coal industry.
The energy savings come as RCPS faces a $16 million budget shortfall due to a decline in city revenue growth.
“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,” Shawver said.
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.
Smith said the career opportunities in the solar industry extend well beyond technical trades.
“Students will have a chance to learn not only about solar technology, but also about battery technology. These are advanced technologies that provide extraordinarily good income for students who choose to pursue a career in solar. It’s not just for electricians, but there are many, many other roles involved in the solar industry, everything from finance to asset management,” Smith said.
Both Smith and Shawver said they expect the microgrid model to be replicated at other schools across Virginia and the country as battery storage costs continue to fall.
Smith pointed to Texas as an example, noting the state became the national leader in solar and battery storage following the 2021 winter storm that killed more than 200 people when frozen gas pipelines caused widespread power loss.
“With costs falling for battery storage, we expect more schools, hospitals, and businesses to follow the example of RCPS to achieve resilience and cut their electric bills,” Smith said.
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