The clean energy revolution is upon us, and Illinois schools have more opportunity than ever to help lead the way. It makes sense that schools are obvious places to adopt new clean energy technologies that are associated with better health outcomes for students, cost savings, educational and career opportunities, and of course big environmental benefits!
New state and federal incentives and programs are available to Illinois schools for a free energy assessment, solar, and electric school buses, and we have also summarized them below! Keep reading to learn more about the opportunities and then share this blog with your school leaders!
Public Schools Carbon-Free Assessment Program
Schools now have an easy first step to take in planning for their clean energy future. Thanks to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Illinois public schools can receive a free energy assessment through the Public Schools Carbon-Free Assessment Program. The brand new program is offered by the public utilities Ameren and ComEd. The assessments, provided free of charge, will analyze the following, 1) energy efficiency savings opportunities, 2) solar energy potential, 3) infrastructure required to support electrification of the facility’s space heating and water heating needs, 4) infrastructure requirements to support electrification of a school’s transportation needs, and more!
Learn more about Ameren’s free energy assessment program here and ComEd’s here.
Solar Energy
According to a new 2022 report, nearly one in ten US schools have solar, and the total solar capacity on schools has tripled since 2015. Illinois ranks high, with the fifth most kilowatts of solar on schools, but still, less than 13% of our schools have solar! Luckily, Illinois’ incentives for solar on schools are better than ever. CEJA also cemented solar opportunities for schools by creating a new category in the state’s solar incentive program specifically for schools. These incentives are known as “Renewable Energy Credits,” and there are RECs reserved specifically for solar projects at schools. These RECs can often account for 20-40% of project costs.
Solar projects are also incentivized through federal tax credits (30%). Projects on schools are often developed and owned by third parties through the use of power purchase agreements. These agreements allow the third party developers to take advantage of the federal tax credits that a tax-exempt school could not historically claim. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 created new “direct pay” opportunities for solar tax credits, opening up new financing opportunities for solar projects for schools and other tax-exempt entities. The Act also created adders that can make the incentive even higher if projects meet domestic content requirements (+10%) or are located in certain “energy communities” (+10%).
Electric School Buses
Electric school buses help eliminate diesel exhaust that is linked to health risks, like asthma, and greenhouse gas emissions. And when they aren’t being used to transport students, these buses’ batteries can be used as mobile sources of stored power! This use is called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, and it can be used to stabilize the grid, respond to emergencies, and can be a money maker for schools! Given the big benefits of electric school buses, there are big incentives to help schools make the change.
In 2022 the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) created the Clean School Bus Program with funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The inaugural program awarded $1 billion in rebates to 389 school districts, including 16 Illinois districts, for electric and low-emission school buses. The program is expected to continue with additional rounds of funding through 2027. Interested schools should visit the USEPA Clean School Bus Program website to learn more.
All-Electric HVAC
All-Electric HVAC
A new report from RMI found that fossil-fuel reliant HVAC systems currently installed in schools result in carbon emissions imposing an estimated $2 billion a year in societal costs. The report found there are big benefits to be gained from switching to efficient, electric systems. Similar to the federal tax credits for solar, the Inflation Reduction Act also increased and created direct pay options for tax credits for the cost of ground source heat pumps.
How can my school district get started on our clean energy future?
- Share this blog post with your school administrators and teachers!
- Contact Ameren or ComEd to request your school’s free energy assessment through the Public Schools Carbon Free Assessment Program.
- Contact Mia with ClimateJobs Illinois.
- Contact Future Green Energy Consortium. Future Green is a not-for-profit initiative of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Association of School Boards, and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.
