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“We have a huge opportunity to turn schools into clean-powered resilience hubs.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Relatively few schools have batteries available for crucial backup power. That gap remains after a decade in which school solar capacity more than tripled, with solar helping districts cut electricity costs at schools attended by more than 7 million students.
Generation180‘s sixth Brighter Future report put the share of students attending solar-powered schools at 1 in 7 based on data through April. More than 10,800 K-12 schools have solar, up from 5,450 in 2016, according to Electrek.
Using Austin, Texas, as a point of comparison, Generation180 said school solar could cover the annual electricity needs of more than 450,000 homes, approximately as many households as the city has. The schools’ installations have a combined capacity of over 2.4 gigawatts.
Virginia’s Roanoke City Public Schools are adding almost 9.4 megawatts at 29 locations, according to Generation180. The district projects $46.5 million in energy savings over 35 years.
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California ranks first with 2,921 schools using solar, followed by New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Arizona.
From 2021 to 2025, the largest school solar capacity additions came in Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Generation180’s first national school battery count identified 155 schools with storage installations dating from 2016 onward. Of those schools, 94 combine solar and batteries, while the remaining 61 use storage on its own, according to the organization.
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Generation180 reported that school battery installations have increased sevenfold during the decade.
Of the identified systems, 109 are in California, representing 70% of the nationwide count. The organization put Massachusetts at 10 systems, followed by Oregon with seven, Hawai’i with six, and Arkansas with three.
By pairing solar with batteries, schools can store excess electricity for later use and reduce costly peaks in power demand. Batteries can also maintain power to essential equipment during outages.
Roughly a third of public K-12 schools serve as emergency shelters designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Adding storage could help these campuses support students, staff, and neighbors during outages.
“We have a huge opportunity to turn schools into clean-powered resilience hubs, community spaces that can keep the lights on, provide shelter, and support families when the grid goes down,” Tish Tablan, the report’s lead author and the senior director overseeing Generation180’s Electrify Our Schools program, said.
On an individual level, homeowners can use EasyHome to explore backup battery storage options alongside solar, making it easier to consider both parts of a home energy system. Pairing solar with a battery allows homeowners to maximize savings and power their homes with solar when the grid goes down.
Schools are using solar to cut electricity costs, with some adding batteries for backup power.
• Virginia schools are adding solar-battery shelters to withstand heat waves, ice storms, and power outages.
• North Carolina public schools have rooftop solar potential matching nearly 150,000 homes’ electricity use.
• Pennsylvania’s Cambria Heights Elementary School added 346 solar panels to offset air-conditioning demand and save money.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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