Solar Schools
House Bill 1032: An Act establishing the Solar for Schools Grant Program; and providing for powers and duties of the Department of Community and Economic Development.
HB 1032 provides grants to install solar systems on public K-12 schools, community colleges, and career technical schools across Pennsylvania. The program would fund 50% of the cost of project construction. Federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act would cover 30- 50% of the remaining installation costs, with school districts responsible for the balance, plus operation and maintenance.
Energy costs are the second biggest expense (after personnel) for schools. Using their own solar systems will help schools save money to use on other much needed educational programs. HB 1032 has strong bipartisan and labor union support.
Every dollar invested in their solar arrays will result in three dollars of savings to schools. So, if the grant is $100,000, a school will save $300,000.
HB1032 has passed in the PA House. Please urge your PA state senator to support it when it moves to the senate after the recess.
Climate Change Timeframe
The Yale Climate Connection has published an excellent article by Jeff Masters that you’ll want to have a look at: “When will climate change turn life in the U.S. upside down?” While the outlook is a bit scary, there is some good news here too. It covers various climate risks, like wildfires, food shortages, and flooding and the insurance crises that will cause. But it also points out that some of the hardest work is already done in that we are now rapidly ramping up the renewable energy sources we need to get to net-zero emissions. Please give it your attention — it is well worth the read.
Predicted change in minor flooding days (<1.74 feet above high tide) in St. Petersburg, Florida, under an “intermediate-high” sea level rise scenario (5.33 feet of sea level rise in 2100 compared to 2000).
Image credit: NASA sea level rise tool
Gov. Shapiro’s Energy Plan
Governor Shapiro has released his Clean Energy Plan, which lays out two major policies:
PA Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS)- This expands the current Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard to reach 35% clean energy by 2035, adds a third tier and includes new resources.
Pa Climate Emissions Reduction Initiative (PACER) – This PA specific cap and invest program caps carbon emissions and requires polluters to purchase allowances. PA will set the price for allowances. Unlike RGGI, PACER will include a refund to customers to bring down their energy bills and insure that no one’s bills will increase.
*UPDATE* (3/21/2024): Cosponsorship memos were just released for the Governor’s PRESS and PACER clean energy programs. Legislation is expected to follow shortly.
See QAMAR’s summary of PRESS here
See PA Environmental Daily’s Blog on the House Environmental Resources and Energy hearing on June 24th, 2024 discussing PRESS legislation here
Links to the bills:
PRESS
PACER
Climate Action
February 2025: Solar Opportunities for Groups in Pennsylvania!
On this installation of the Planet Philadelphia podcast Dr. Peter Buck and Liz Robinson Discuss how groups in Pennsylvania can successfully deploy Solar Energy!
Click here to listen in!
January 2025: A Critical Juncture
Getting Back on Track: How New Leadership and More Strategic Actions Can Best Address Climate Change Now
Project Drawdown Executive Director Jonathan Foley’s Ph.D. talk, “Getting Back on Track: How New Leadership and More Strategic Actions Can Best Address Climate Change Now,” highlights the need to focus on high-impact, cost-effective, and fast-acting climate solutions.
Below are some takeaways from the webinar:
Although we are already beginning to see setbacks for climate change action in the United States due to recent political changes, there are other levers we can pull to ensure we are continuing to reduce emissions and advance climate solutions.
We need to combat misinformation and greenwashing so that we can direct resources to the most effective solutions currently on the market.
Smarter, faster, and more targeted climate action is essential to meet global targets. Collaboration across sectors and geographies is key to accelerating progress.
We must consider (and prioritize) human wellbeing co-benefits when choosing climate solutions.
Hope is vital to making sure we reach our goals. The future depends on committed, inclusive efforts that are guided by science and data.
Two Things You Can Do NOW:
1. Share the webinar recording with others through a text, email, or social media post.
2. Check out Jon’s recent Insights post titled. “To get back on track, we need new climate leadership and approaches | Project Drawdown”
Sign up for our biweekly newsletter to be among the first to hear about upcoming webinars.
How to deal with Climate Anxiety?
Do you ever wonder how to deal with Climate Anxiety? Does it feel like there is little hope? Fear not, Hidden Brain’s latest podcast is titled “When It’s All Too Much” explores how working collectively on climate can help alleviate anxieties and solve some of our world’s problems.
Click to read!
Key links:
Drawdown Foundations
Drawdown Climate Solutions Library
To get back on track, we need new climate leadership and approaches | Project Drawdown
News and Articles of Interest:
• Despite its popularity, Pennsylvania’s solar energy future remains stalled.
by Liz Robinson, writing in Grid Magazine — full article here. (1 Nov 2025)
by Liz Robinson, writing in Grid Magazine — full article here. (1 Nov 2025)