The Walmart Foundation has announced a USD$1.2 million dollar donation to the USA’s National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) to install solar power systems on 20 schools in five cities across the country.
According to Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation, “The Walmart Solar School program will help educate the next generation on the o opportunities and benefits of using more renewable energy.”
The 20 solar installations are expected to annually generate approximately 150,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean electricity, save the schools more than $15,000 in energy costs and avoid 100 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
All of the solar panels used in the Solar Schools program will be manufactured in the United States and the program will help support green jobs, including engineering, design and installer technician jobs.
On solar schools related news closer to home, Australia’s NSSP (National Solar Schools Program) is due to restart early in the new financial year according to a response to an enquiry made to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency by national solar solutions provider Energy Matters.
The NSSP provides grants of up to $50,000 for schools to install grid connect solar power systems. The program was abruptly suspended without prior notice by the Rudd government mid-October last year after the Department stated it had received enough claims to meet the program’s full budget allocation in 2009-10.
Energy Matters encourages schools to pre-register their interest with the company in anticipation of the new round in order to beat the inevitable rush when Australian solar schools grants do become available again.
