Minnesota on track to debut 400th solar-powered school by end of 2026, more than doubling 2022 total

Minnesota is on track to have more than 400 solar-powered schools by the end of the year, more than doubling the number it had when the state's Solar for Schools program began in 2022, state officials said.Leaders with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and School District 622 marked the milestone Thursday morning at Justice Alan Page Elementary in Maplewood, one of the solar-powered schools. State leaders said in 2022 that Minnesota had about 190 solar-powered schools. The department says Minnesota now ranks seventh in the nation.Solar for Schools is a grant program approaching its fifth year. Its goal is to promote solar energy at Minnesota schools and use it in classroom lessons. The department says the program has awarded more than $32 million in grants, which it says is roughly enough to meet the average annual needs of 3,100 homes.Students at Justice Alan Page Elementary School in Maplewood, Minnesota, celebrate becoming a solar-power facility on Oct. 22, 2026.