6 million kids now attend a solar-powered school

New report finds solar power at U.S. K-12 schools has more than quadrupled in the last 10 years. 6.2 million students–or one in nine across the nation–attend a solar-powered school, according to the latest edition of Generation180’s Brighter Future report.  

As of 2023, 8,971 American schools are equipped with solar power. Since 2014, the cumulative capacity of solar at K-12 schools has increased from 422 MW to 1,814 MW. The average size of solar systems installed at schools has grown by 50 percent in the last decade.

“More and more America’s schools are getting energy straight from their rooftops,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. “We should be deploying rooftop solar everywhere we can and many of the flat sunny roofs of America’s schools are perfectly suited to soak up the sun.” 

The report notes that falling installation costs have been the primary catalyst for more schools adopting solar. Installing solar now costs 40 percent of what it did a decade ago–and coupled with state and federal programs, it is now cheaper than ever for schools to transition to clean energy. The emergence of energy storage technology for K-12 schools also shows the increased reliability of solar installations at schools. While most battery projects are concentrated in California schools, this technology is expected to become more prevalent in the near future. 

For more about how rooftop solar is growing across America, check out Rooftop Solar on the Rise.

Heat pump water heater sales soar

More than 190,000 heat pump water heaters were shipped in the United States last year, representing a 35% increase over 2022.

In 2023, heat pump water heater sales saw their largest increase ever. That’s according to new data released in September by ENERGY STAR, which reported that more than 190,000 heat pump water heaters were shipped in the United States last year, representing a 35% increase over 2022.

“Replacing inefficient fossil-fuel powered water heaters with efficient electric appliances will reduce the amount of energy we need to heat water in our homes dramatically,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. “In most homes, heating water is the second biggest use of energy, so the collective impact of switching to efficient electric water heating technology is massive.”

Data collected by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) suggests that electric water heaters have opened an unprecedented and potentially permanent lead over their fossil-fuel powered counterparts. In 2023, electric water heaters claimed a 53% of marketshare, continuing a trend of electric water heater sales outpacing gas water heater sales since the early 2020s.

The growth in heat pump water heater adoption is likely to continue. In June, Clayton Homes, which manufactures 42,000 homes every year, committed to installing heat pump water heaters in nearly all new homes they sell.  Policy will help too. Federal tax credits passed in 2022 incentivize the switch to heat pump water heaters, and the Biden administration finalized efficiency standards that require the most commonly sized electric water heaters to use heat pump technology starting in 2029.