#solarmicrogrids — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #solarmicrogrids, aggregated by home.social.
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A #Virginia school district pioneers #solar and battery #microgrids
#RoanokeVA City Public Schools is building the state’s first solar-plus-storage systems to keep emergency shelters going during #ExtremeWeather and cut down on costs.
By Elizabeth Ouzts
8 September 2026"As #ClimateChange intensifies, communities around the country are looking for ways to better prepare for extreme weather, from ice storms to heat waves. In Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in the #BlueRidgeMountains, that starts with the schools.
"For years, the Roanoke City Public Schools district has been installing #SolarPanels to lower electricity bills, minimize its carbon footprint, and teach students about clean tech. Now, the district is set to be the first in the state to invest in storage, with a solar-and-battery-powered microgrid at each of its two high schools, which double as official #DisasterShelters.
" 'They’ll run on the battery until such time as it’s discharged,' said Jeff Shawver, senior director of school plants for Roanoke City Public Schools. 'Then the diesel generators are cut on. Then, the next day, the sun comes up, and you start charging the battery again. It just keeps the cycle going.'
"Due to be installed by the end of the year, the storage systems will be among just a handful of batteries at school buildings around the country, according to #Generation180 , a national nonprofit headquartered up the interstate in Charlottesville. The dearth of #SustainableMicrogrids at schools is problematic in the wake of natural disaster, since they account for 60% of all FEMA-designated relief shelters in Virginia and half of those nationwide.
" 'Schools are also the hubs where citizens vote, where groups gather, and now increasingly where neighbors need to huddle or seek shelter during emergencies,' said Tish Tablan, senior program director at the nonprofit and a former teacher. 'So they’re just critical parts of our communities.'
"The microgrid is funded partially by a grant from the state’s Department of Emergency Management and a donation from commercial solar installer Secure Solar Futures. 'The grant has been around for a few years,' Tablan said. 'They are the first to utilize it for a solar microgrid instead of diesel.' "
Read more:
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/virginia-school-district-solar-battery-microgrids#SolarPunkSunday #SolarMicrogrids #DisasterPreparedness #Resiliency #RenewableEnergy #Offgrid #ClimateCrisis #ClimateResiliency #BuildingResilience
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A #Virginia school district pioneers #solar and battery #microgrids
#RoanokeVA City Public Schools is building the state’s first solar-plus-storage systems to keep emergency shelters going during #ExtremeWeather and cut down on costs.
By Elizabeth Ouzts
8 September 2026"As #ClimateChange intensifies, communities around the country are looking for ways to better prepare for extreme weather, from ice storms to heat waves. In Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in the #BlueRidgeMountains, that starts with the schools.
"For years, the Roanoke City Public Schools district has been installing #SolarPanels to lower electricity bills, minimize its carbon footprint, and teach students about clean tech. Now, the district is set to be the first in the state to invest in storage, with a solar-and-battery-powered microgrid at each of its two high schools, which double as official #DisasterShelters.
" 'They’ll run on the battery until such time as it’s discharged,' said Jeff Shawver, senior director of school plants for Roanoke City Public Schools. 'Then the diesel generators are cut on. Then, the next day, the sun comes up, and you start charging the battery again. It just keeps the cycle going.'
"Due to be installed by the end of the year, the storage systems will be among just a handful of batteries at school buildings around the country, according to #Generation180 , a national nonprofit headquartered up the interstate in Charlottesville. The dearth of #SustainableMicrogrids at schools is problematic in the wake of natural disaster, since they account for 60% of all FEMA-designated relief shelters in Virginia and half of those nationwide.
" 'Schools are also the hubs where citizens vote, where groups gather, and now increasingly where neighbors need to huddle or seek shelter during emergencies,' said Tish Tablan, senior program director at the nonprofit and a former teacher. 'So they’re just critical parts of our communities.'
"The microgrid is funded partially by a grant from the state’s Department of Emergency Management and a donation from commercial solar installer Secure Solar Futures. 'The grant has been around for a few years,' Tablan said. 'They are the first to utilize it for a solar microgrid instead of diesel.' "
Read more:
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/virginia-school-district-solar-battery-microgrids#SolarPunkSunday #SolarMicrogrids #DisasterPreparedness #Resiliency #RenewableEnergy #Offgrid #ClimateCrisis #ClimateResiliency #BuildingResilience
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A #Virginia school district pioneers #solar and battery #microgrids
#RoanokeVA City Public Schools is building the state’s first solar-plus-storage systems to keep emergency shelters going during #ExtremeWeather and cut down on costs.
By Elizabeth Ouzts
8 September 2026"As #ClimateChange intensifies, communities around the country are looking for ways to better prepare for extreme weather, from ice storms to heat waves. In Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in the #BlueRidgeMountains, that starts with the schools.
"For years, the Roanoke City Public Schools district has been installing #SolarPanels to lower electricity bills, minimize its carbon footprint, and teach students about clean tech. Now, the district is set to be the first in the state to invest in storage, with a solar-and-battery-powered microgrid at each of its two high schools, which double as official #DisasterShelters.
" 'They’ll run on the battery until such time as it’s discharged,' said Jeff Shawver, senior director of school plants for Roanoke City Public Schools. 'Then the diesel generators are cut on. Then, the next day, the sun comes up, and you start charging the battery again. It just keeps the cycle going.'
"Due to be installed by the end of the year, the storage systems will be among just a handful of batteries at school buildings around the country, according to #Generation180 , a national nonprofit headquartered up the interstate in Charlottesville. The dearth of #SustainableMicrogrids at schools is problematic in the wake of natural disaster, since they account for 60% of all FEMA-designated relief shelters in Virginia and half of those nationwide.
" 'Schools are also the hubs where citizens vote, where groups gather, and now increasingly where neighbors need to huddle or seek shelter during emergencies,' said Tish Tablan, senior program director at the nonprofit and a former teacher. 'So they’re just critical parts of our communities.'
"The microgrid is funded partially by a grant from the state’s Department of Emergency Management and a donation from commercial solar installer Secure Solar Futures. 'The grant has been around for a few years,' Tablan said. 'They are the first to utilize it for a solar microgrid instead of diesel.' "
Read more:
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/virginia-school-district-solar-battery-microgrids#SolarPunkSunday #SolarMicrogrids #DisasterPreparedness #Resiliency #RenewableEnergy #Offgrid #ClimateCrisis #ClimateResiliency #BuildingResilience
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A #Virginia school district pioneers #solar and battery #microgrids
#RoanokeVA City Public Schools is building the state’s first solar-plus-storage systems to keep emergency shelters going during #ExtremeWeather and cut down on costs.
By Elizabeth Ouzts
8 September 2026"As #ClimateChange intensifies, communities around the country are looking for ways to better prepare for extreme weather, from ice storms to heat waves. In Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in the #BlueRidgeMountains, that starts with the schools.
"For years, the Roanoke City Public Schools district has been installing #SolarPanels to lower electricity bills, minimize its carbon footprint, and teach students about clean tech. Now, the district is set to be the first in the state to invest in storage, with a solar-and-battery-powered microgrid at each of its two high schools, which double as official #DisasterShelters.
" 'They’ll run on the battery until such time as it’s discharged,' said Jeff Shawver, senior director of school plants for Roanoke City Public Schools. 'Then the diesel generators are cut on. Then, the next day, the sun comes up, and you start charging the battery again. It just keeps the cycle going.'
"Due to be installed by the end of the year, the storage systems will be among just a handful of batteries at school buildings around the country, according to #Generation180 , a national nonprofit headquartered up the interstate in Charlottesville. The dearth of #SustainableMicrogrids at schools is problematic in the wake of natural disaster, since they account for 60% of all FEMA-designated relief shelters in Virginia and half of those nationwide.
" 'Schools are also the hubs where citizens vote, where groups gather, and now increasingly where neighbors need to huddle or seek shelter during emergencies,' said Tish Tablan, senior program director at the nonprofit and a former teacher. 'So they’re just critical parts of our communities.'
"The microgrid is funded partially by a grant from the state’s Department of Emergency Management and a donation from commercial solar installer Secure Solar Futures. 'The grant has been around for a few years,' Tablan said. 'They are the first to utilize it for a solar microgrid instead of diesel.' "
Read more:
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/virginia-school-district-solar-battery-microgrids#SolarPunkSunday #SolarMicrogrids #DisasterPreparedness #Resiliency #RenewableEnergy #Offgrid #ClimateCrisis #ClimateResiliency #BuildingResilience
-
A #Virginia school district pioneers #solar and battery #microgrids
#RoanokeVA City Public Schools is building the state’s first solar-plus-storage systems to keep emergency shelters going during #ExtremeWeather and cut down on costs.
By Elizabeth Ouzts
8 September 2026"As #ClimateChange intensifies, communities around the country are looking for ways to better prepare for extreme weather, from ice storms to heat waves. In Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in the #BlueRidgeMountains, that starts with the schools.
"For years, the Roanoke City Public Schools district has been installing #SolarPanels to lower electricity bills, minimize its carbon footprint, and teach students about clean tech. Now, the district is set to be the first in the state to invest in storage, with a solar-and-battery-powered microgrid at each of its two high schools, which double as official #DisasterShelters.
" 'They’ll run on the battery until such time as it’s discharged,' said Jeff Shawver, senior director of school plants for Roanoke City Public Schools. 'Then the diesel generators are cut on. Then, the next day, the sun comes up, and you start charging the battery again. It just keeps the cycle going.'
"Due to be installed by the end of the year, the storage systems will be among just a handful of batteries at school buildings around the country, according to #Generation180 , a national nonprofit headquartered up the interstate in Charlottesville. The dearth of #SustainableMicrogrids at schools is problematic in the wake of natural disaster, since they account for 60% of all FEMA-designated relief shelters in Virginia and half of those nationwide.
" 'Schools are also the hubs where citizens vote, where groups gather, and now increasingly where neighbors need to huddle or seek shelter during emergencies,' said Tish Tablan, senior program director at the nonprofit and a former teacher. 'So they’re just critical parts of our communities.'
"The microgrid is funded partially by a grant from the state’s Department of Emergency Management and a donation from commercial solar installer Secure Solar Futures. 'The grant has been around for a few years,' Tablan said. 'They are the first to utilize it for a solar microgrid instead of diesel.' "
Read more:
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/virginia-school-district-solar-battery-microgrids#SolarPunkSunday #SolarMicrogrids #DisasterPreparedness #Resiliency #RenewableEnergy #Offgrid #ClimateCrisis #ClimateResiliency #BuildingResilience