Early in the 2024-25 school year, Moorhead Area Public Schools partnered with the Minnesota Commerce Department to add solar panels to Dorothy Dodds Elementary, S.G. Reinertsen Elementary, Horizon Middle School East, Moorhead High School and the Moorhead High School Career Academy.
These schools join Probstfield Elementary and Horizon Middle School West, where the district installed solar panels during the previous school year. In that time, the project has already generated a significant amount of power.
“Our solar panels at Probstfield have generated 67,600 kilowatt hours (kWh), which is almost 8% of our annual power usage at that building,” said Steve Moore, MAPS Executive Director of Operations and Emergency Management. “Horizon West produced slightly more at 69,600 kWh which, as a larger building, is about 5% of its annual power usage.”
Funding for this project is fully provided by the Minnesota Commerce Department’s Solar for Schools grant program, meaning that the district was able to acquire these energy-saving solar panels at no cost to taxpayers.
“Our partnership with the state made this project possible,” added Moore, “getting $714,000 in grants is significant. Getting something that is saving energy for zero taxpayer investment and zero taxpayer dollars is a very positive thing.”
In total, Minnesota has 92 schools statewide that have installed solar panels as part of this program since its inception in 2022. Nationally, Minnesota currently ranks 13th in installed solar capacity and 11th in total number of solar schools.
For detailed information on each school’s solar energy production, please visit that school’s SolarEdge dashboard: Horizon West, Probstfield, Dorothy Dodds, MHS/Moorhead Sports Center, MHS Career Academy and S.G. Reinertsen (Horizon East online soon).