Powering Learning Environments Through On-Site Solar Solutions

There’s no doubt educational institutions must fully capitalize on what can often be tight budgets. Administrators need to make decisions that balance operational and educational goals, ensuring they’re able to support both high-performance buildings and high-quality education. But what if there was a way to simultaneously lower energy costs, enhance education, and be part of a more sustainable built environment?   

One of the design solutions our team at Cushing Terrell has been helping implement for educational clients is on-site solar to offset energy costs and serve as a learning tool.  

Making Solar Projects Feasible… with a Payback 

From local city government and utility programs to state and federal programs, there are a variety of incentives, rebates, and tax credit options to explore when considering a solar project. Through nationwide initiatives such as the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022, schools became eligible for up to 30% reimbursement for the cost of solar panel installation. And even with recently passed federal legislation impacting eligibility for tax credits, we may see city and state governments stepping up to fill the gap when it comes to supporting renewable energy projects.  

One example of a state-run effort is the $25 million grant program in Pennsylvania called the Solar for Schools program. Passed by the legislature in 2024 and accepting applications from November through January 2025, the grants will aid in the purchase and installation of equipment, permit fees, energy storage, and utility interconnection. 

Schools may also be able to take advantage of local solar refunds and discounts put forth by utility companies. For example, depending on the state, educational institutions may qualify for one or more of the following solar discounts: tax credits, property tax exemptions, sales tax exemptions, solar rebates, low-interest loans, feed-in tariffs, and/or Solar Renewable Energy Certificates. Consumer Affairs, and many other publications, offer state-by-state breakdowns of potential solar discounts, refunds, and rebates. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, K-12 schools alone are spending $8 billion per year nationwide on energy costs — the second largest expense for schools, after salaries. As a result, schools like the Arizona Unified School District have implemented a district-wide solar project that installed solar arrays on-site to power 21 buildings. They expect to save $14 million over 20 years, or $700,000 annually.   

In the short term, depending on the scale of the project, institutions could save thousands, which could then be spent on critical educational programs, necessary building maintenance, expansions as populations increase, and essential supplies for students. 

Romney Hall, Montana State University: Bozeman, Montana

Designing for a Bright Future in Higher Education 

Montana State University (MSU) has long been a champion of sustainability, understanding the importance of continually improving the institution’s environmental, social, and economic performance. Through MSU’s Office of Sustainability, formed in 2012, the university has led the installation and utilization of alternative energy systems, highly efficient LED lighting, water conservation systems, HVAC enhancements, and more. In water, lighting, and heating and cooling alone, they’re saving around $410,000 per year. 

In 2023, MSU earned a prestigious STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education — an honor that recognizes MSU’s comprehensive sustainability achievements.  

Cushing Terrell is proud to have helped support MSU with many of its energy-related projects over the past decade, including the design of solar panels into buildings and planning for the installation of panels at a future date, making them “solar ready.” 

The team has worked on an ongoing, campus-wide master plan for the college to increase their overall energy efficiency via designing, constructing, and maintaining buildings on campus to an exponential degree of sustainability, which will furthermore help the school reach their goal of STARS Platinum by 2035 and carbon neutral by 2040. 

For example, the solar thermal work done on Montana State’s Romney Hall improved the building’s energy performance by nearly 41% with the integration of solar wall technology that uses solar thermal energy for pre-heating air coming into the building for heating. A historic renovation project that earned LEED Gold, Romney Hall is one of the projects that also helped earn MSU its STARS Gold rating. 

Additionally, Cushing Terrell and CO Architects designed five new nursing education facilities for MSU — currently taking shape in locations across the state of Montana — which are all designed to be solar ready and for which the team will pursue LEED certification.  

A Spotlight on “Solar Ready” Bozeman and Gallatin High Schools and the Billings School District 

Other examples of schools that have implemented multi-phase solar programs — a good option when you need to meet budgets and align with current funding levels — are Bozeman High School and Gallatin High School, in Bozeman, Montana.  

When designing the brand-new Gallatin High School and the renovation for Bozeman High School, our Cushing Terrell team ensured the schools would be solar ready, meaning space and structures and connections in place for the future installation of PV arrays. Now, three years later, Cushing Terrell is helping the schools realize their solar dreams with the design and layout of PV systems with the potential for daily 50kW capacity, which is sized to comply with NorthWestern Energy’s net metering rules.  

For reference, these 50kW systems in Montana are estimated to generate around 65,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is the average consumption of six single-family homes in the U.S., or 23,000 loads of laundry. The power generated by these arrays will go to powering things in the schools like shop equipment, lighting, cooling, and other general electrical loads. 

The PV arrays will produce electricity that will be sold back to NorthWestern Energy at a discounted price, saving the schools money on their energy bills.  

For Bozeman High School, due to popular demand by the students, they’ve started a “Solar Schools” Club. While solar isn’t yet serving them physically, the idea of solar panels on their school’s roof is inspiring students to learn more about renewable energy and the impact these energy sources have on our society. 

Likewise, the entire Billings School District has followed this model, starting with high schools, then middle schools, and now moving on to elementary schools. Each location and potential future utility has been considered, with arrays installed on-site in fields, on rooftops, or space-efficient areas such as on top of covered parking structures. The Billings School District utilized the NorthWestern Energy grant program for all their projects. With the grant, the schools should see a payback at around 12–13 years.

These 50kW systems in Montana are estimated to generate around 65,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is the average consumption of six single-family homes in the U.S., or 23,000 loads of laundry. The power generated by these arrays will go to powering things in the schools like shop equipment, lighting, cooling, and other general electrical loads. 

Students Learn the Impact of Different Solar Power Systems 

On the topic of PV systems as learning tools, Cushing Terrell provided architecture and engineering services to create unique solar arrays for NorthWestern Energy in partnership with Missoula County Public Schools. The goal of the project was to provide an opportunity for students to learn about renewable energy and give NorthWestern Energy the ability to see how different system designs can tie into the overall electric grid. The team created four solar arrays — one installed at each of the local high schools and featuring a unique design adapted to their unique physical environment. 

At Big Sky High School, the design for the system consisted of creating a solar array that covers a patio area as a source of shading and protection from the elements. This site also has a planned battery energy storage system, which will make it possible to store excess energy generated from the array. 

The Hellgate High School array design centered on the challenge of integrating solar arrays into a densely populated urban setting. This array featured PV panels installed on an 18-foot-high carport canopy, which kept the array out of the shadow of the adjacent buildings. 

The plan for the Sentinel High School array was to study the different orientations and times of day that would create a peak output. The various array orientations will allow NorthWestern Energy to evaluate the feasibility of offering incentives to their customers to place their arrays in a direction other than the traditional southern orientation. This directional choice could spread out that peak output throughout the day.  

And finally, the Willard Alternative High School array is centered on integrating PV panels vertically into a fence. This design can help increase solar production in high latitude climates that experience high amounts of snow fall and low sun angles during the winter.  

A Shining Example of Hands-On Learning for CTE Students 

Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) in Ontario, Oregon, also worked with Cushing Terrell for their Career and Technical Education Center, which is an immersive, hands-on learning environment focused on offering students the necessary skills to excel in the region’s high-demand industries such as agriculture, natural resources, automated systems, welding, and fabrication. 

The roofing includes a 28kW solar array that provides the building with renewable energy and serves as a demonstration tool for educators. Cushing Terrell provided electrical engineering, design, mechanical and structural engineering services, and more to help build both a sustainable power source and functional space for future generations of tradespeople. 

The space also has an agricultural culinary study kitchen, multi-use spaces for gathering and presentations, flexible lab rooms, and exterior learning areas. Building the space in this way supports TVCC’s agency with multi-purpose learning and teaching environments. The solar powered structure is also functionally a place for career fairs and development, community gatherings, and a meeting space for industry leaders to share knowledge and promote networking. 

Highlighting the Importance of Environmental Readiness and Learning 

Cushing Terrell believes in the functionality and human application of our built spaces above all else. Which is to say, we provide solar solutions for educators as a way to resolve financial obstacles, as a learning instrument that can teach students about environmental issues and engineering expertise, and as a method to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Designing and engineering with this in mind also helps us create resilient, dependable, maintainable, and ultra-long-term creations for our clients.  

What’s more, as prices increase for fossil fuels and electricity, what was once thought to be a high-minded and lofty project, the window for solar panels paying for themselves (and then some) is shrinking by the day. What used to be a 20-40 year plan for units to offset the initial expenditure of installations, in many cases is now 10-15 (even less for homeowners), depending on the scope of the project, the total energy savings, state-run grants, rebates, tax credits, and other financing options. 

A Sunny Return on Investment for Educators 

For clients interested in the potential for long-term solar solutions, our Energy Services team came up with this solar integration design guide and infographic, which includes options for solar readiness and “solar now” implementation. The idea is to show an estimated scenario and potential for return on investment for designing education buildings (and all buildings) that may benefit from green certifications, building with solar readiness in mind, and what the actual cost and payoff of solar installation could be. 

Learn more about how we can support your solar journey at Cushing Terrell.