Moorhead Public Schools

In late November, solar panels began generating electricity for Horizon West Middle School and Probstfield Elementary School. Funded by a state grant, these panels represent Moorhead Area Public Schools’ first move toward clean energy in its buildings.
Funds for the project came from the Minnesota Commerce Department’s Solar for Schools Grant Program. The state allowed districts to submit two schools for the first round of funding. MAPS put forward Horizon West and Probstfield to be the first to receive this grant. Both schools were selected and each received a grant of $175,000 to install the panels.
Clean energy refers to a specific kind of renewable energy that comes from zero-emission sources. Solar energy is one of three common types of clean energy, along with wind and hydroelectric. “This is our first step in implementing clean energy across our district,” explained Steve Moore, MAPS Operations and Emergency Management Director. “Since this project is funded by state grants, it’s not coming out of our budget and will immediately work toward saving the district money.”
Between November 21 and November 30, the panels generated a combined 1,596 kilowatt hours for Horizon West and Probstfield Elementary. According to the SolarEdge monitoring service, the use of these panels saved over a ton of carbon dioxide emissions in less than two weeks—the equivalent of planting 18 trees.
MAPS has been approved for future grant-funded projects at Dorothy Dodds Elementary, S.G. Reinertsen Elementary, Horizon East, the MHS Career Academy and the Moorhead Sports Center.