Schools in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Minneapolis and Seattle will receive solar panel arrays paid for by the Walmart Foundation.
The grant for $1.2 million will pay for solar installations on 20 schools as part of the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED), it was announced yesterday.
Not only will the schools save money on energy, the Walmart Solar School program will teach the next generation about the benefits of using renewable energy.
“NEED is honored to partner with the Walmart Foundation to bring teaching and learning opportunities to schools. The solar installations, hands-on energy kits, and teaching curriculum will inspire students to learn about energy and to explore the promise and the possibilities of greater use of renewable energy,” said Mary Spruill, Executive Director of NEED.
The 20 solar installations are expected to annually generate approximately 150,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, while saving the schools more than $15,000 in energy costs and preventing 100 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
All of the panels used in the Solar Schools program were manufactured in the US, with green jobs going to engineers, designers and installers.
For more info along with curriculum materials, visit www.need.org.