High-Impact RECs Enable 3.2MW Solar with Community Co-Benefits
Solar on Schools in West Virginia
How Ever.green aggregated corporate climate commitments to enable rooftop solar for a rural school district, lowering energy costs and creating local jobs.
How Corporate Climate Capital Helped Finance Solar Projects on 15 Schools in WV
High-Impact RECs
Attested additionality
Created local jobs and student internships.
Low-income community.
Wayne County, WV
Solar
3.2 MW, 3.75k MWh/yr
2.4ktCO/yr avoided
Equivalent to 560 cars/yr removed from the road.
Every dollar spent on energy is a dollar not spent on students
For generations, coal mining powered both the American economy and local livelihoods. Wayne County, West Virginia is deeply rooted in that history. As the energy landscape has shifted and coal jobs have declined, many families and communities have faced difficult economic trade-offs. Wayne County Schools began installing solar on school rooftops to stabilize energy costs and redirect savings back into classrooms.
District leaders saw an opportunity to change that equation. By installing solar on school rooftops, they could lower long-term energy costs and redirect savings back into education. The challenge was that solar projects require significant upfront capital, which the district did not have.
Why this school solar project was difficult to finance
To avoid upfront costs, Wayne County Schools chose to pursue a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Solar Holler, a West Virginia-based solar developer. Under a PPA, the developer finances, builds, and owns the solar systems, while the school district purchases the electricity at a fixed, predictable rate over time. The model is straightforward in theory, but difficult in practice. Developers need long-term revenue certainty at a sufficient price to secure financing, while electricity prices must remain low enough for schools to see real savings. In Wayne County, those two requirements did not initially align. Without additional revenue, the projects were stalled.
High-Impact REC contracts tip the scales
Corporate climate commitments provided the missing piece. Ever.green aggregated long-term demand from corporate buyers committed to adding new renewable energy to the grid through projects that also deliver measurable community benefits. By entering into long-term High-Impact REC contracts at a meaningful price, these corporate buyers supplied the additional and predictable revenue Solar Holler needed to move the projects forward.
With that revenue certainty in place, Solar Holler could offer Wayne County Schools a PPA rate that generated immediate savings for the district while still meeting financing requirements.
A community-rooted partnership
Solar Holler is a West Virginia company, deeply connected to the communities where it works. Many staff members graduated from Wayne County schools or have children enrolled there today. They also operate internship and workforce development programs for local high school students, creating pathways into renewable energy careers.
Turning energy savings into teaching careers
For Wayne County Schools, the financial impact is immediate and measurable. Annual energy savings of approximately $150,000 to $200,000 flow directly back into the district’s operating budget. Across 15 schools, Solar Holler installed 3.2 MW of solar capacity, generating more than 3,750 MWh of clean electricity each year. These projects avoid roughly 2,400 metric tons of CO₂ annually, equivalent to taking about 560 cars off the road every year.
When renewable energy becomes local, perceptions change
Solar on school rooftops makes renewable energy visible and tangible. The community is experiencing the energy transition firsthand. When people see renewable energy working in their own community, it reshapes what they believe is possible.
Connecting corporate climate capital to community-scale renewable energy
Wayne County demonstrates how corporate climate commitments can be structured to enable community-scale renewable energy projects that traditional financing often overlooks. Nearly 8,000 rural school districts across the United States face similar budget pressures, collectively spending billions of dollars on energy each year that could instead support students and educators.
Ever.green’s approach creates a clear channel for corporate climate dollars to reach projects that deliver impact beyond clean electrons.