HARRISBURG – Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35) and Rep. Frank Burns (D-72) announced today that the Central Cambria School District has been awarded a state grant to install solar energy in one of its schools.
The grant was awarded through the Solar for Schools Grant Program, created by lawmakers in 2024 and funded through the 2024-25 budget.
The district will receive $148,256 to install a 181-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the roof of Jackson Elementary School. Solar for Schools will be used for the purchase and installation of equipment. The average annual savings to the school district is $22,374 and the total project cost is $370,640.
“Every dollar a school district spends on energy is a dollar it can’t spend on educating children,” said Langerholc. “This grant will help pay for a project that will save taxpayer dollars and free up funds for education.”
“When we held a hearing at the Central Cambria School District on the idea of Solar for Schools last year, school officials described how adding a solar array would benefit the district financially, but it was cost prohibitive,” Burns said. “We took their message to heart and now they will benefit from a state grant to help them reduce their electricity bills by generating their own electricity. It’s advanced thinking like this that will help the district save costs and enable the district to focus more on educating students and supporting their teachers.”
The funding was approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development that administers many of Pennsylvania’s economic development and community improvement programs.
CONTACTS: Gwenn Dando (Sen. Langerholc)
Amy Hartman (Rep. Burns)