Arkansas Schools Go Solar To Make Room in Their Budgets for Other Needs

KUAF | By Zuzanna Sitek,

KUAF

Published April 20, 2021 at 9:46 AM CDT

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The Batesville School District project includes a solar panel canopy over the loading zone at the junior high and high school buildings.

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The project also includes a solar farm with panels that track the sun for maximum energy production.

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The school district invested $5.4 million in the projects and expects to make a return of more than $9 million in 20 years.

In 2018, the Batesville School District voted to work with Entegrity Partners to go solar to make room in its budget for salary increases for teachers. Now, Entegrity is working with 20 other school districts to harness the power of the sun to save money. Aside from becoming more affordable overall, Arkansas laws like the Solar Access Act of 2019, have made it more economically feasible for public entities like school districts to make the switch to solar power.
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