A $300,000 state grant awarded this week will allow the State College Area School District to install a solar array at the planned new Park Forest Middle School.
The Solar for Schools grant, administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, will fund a 630 kW array that will be included with the new building to be constructed on Little Lion Drive, off of Valley Vista Drive in Patton Township, state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said in announcing the award.
“Sustainability has been an important focus of the new school’s building plan, and a solar array has been a proposed part of the project,” Conklin, who co-sponsored legislation to establish the Solar for Schools Program, said in a statement. “Securing this grant means that proposal can become a reality.”
SCASD tentatively expects to begin construction on the 270,000-square-foot building in early 2026, with completion anticipated in 2028, according to a presentation to the school board earlier this month. The new building, which has a preliminary estimated cost of $127.9 million to $136.9 million, will replace the nearby middle school on School Drive, which was built in 1971 and last updated in 1995.
A solar array is included in plans as a project alternate, and along with a full geothermal HVAC system, thermal envelope and the district’s solar program the new building has the potential to have net-zero emissions, Jeff Straub, of architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, said.
Preliminary estimates show that the solar array will produce approximately 35% to 40% of the building’s energy use, according to Conklin.
“In addition to slashing carbon emissions, the array will save taxpayer dollars and reduce energy costs, leaving more money for classroom programs and curricula,” Conklin said. “It’s going to be exciting seeing the new technology go up and begin delivering on those benefits.”
Established in 2024, Pennsylvania’a Solar for Schools Grant Program provides funding to reduce the cost of implementing solar energy systems at schools statewide. School districts, intermediate units, charter schools, technical schools and community colleges are eligible for the program. Funding may be used to cover the purchase and installation of equipment, permit fees, energy storage and utility interconnection.
