ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke City Public Schools announced Tuesday that it had been awarded a grant from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to upgrade its emergency shelter capacity at Patrick Henry and William Fleming High Schools by building a solar-powered microgrid.
Officials said that this microgrid would generate power from the sun and would store it in batteries for future use, the microgrid will be the first of its kind located at a public school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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The VDEM 2026 Shelter Upgrade Assistance Fund will provide $450,000 to be matched by a $2.1 million investment from Secure Solar Futures, the developer of the project. With total outside financing of $2.55 million, the project will be completed at no cost to the schools, officials said.
“Preparedness is about planning ahead, and this grant reflects the commitment to safeguarding communities when they need it most,” said VDEM Director of Grant Management and Recovery Robbie Coates. “This will ensure that the city will have an alternate power source at their shelter, should they need to use it during an emergency.”
“The Virginia Department of Energy applauds Roanoke City Public Schools and Secure Solar Futures for pioneering the state’s first solar-powered microgrid at a public school,” said Vince Maiden, Director of the Virginia Department of Energy’s State Energy Office. “By enhancing emergency shelter resilience and integrating renewable energy with battery storage, innovative solutions like these are critical to the clean energy transition. Virginia Energy was proud to provide a letter of support for this product through our Clean Energy Innovation Bank.”
“This investment strengthens our ability to keep students and families safe, even during emergency situations,” said Dr. Verletta White, Superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools. “By adding battery storage to our existing solar infrastructure, we are increasing the resilience of our schools and ensuring Patrick Henry and William Fleming can continue serving as emergency shelters during power outages. Projects like this reflect our commitment to staying student-focused while also making smart, sustainable decisions that support our community for the long term.”
According to RCPS, when construction is completed by the end of 2026, solar power will cover 46.1% of the locations’ annual power usage and is expected to save the schools $60.2 million in avoided costs for both electric power and roof repairs and replacements over 35 years.
City National Bank and the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank have committed financing to the solar-plus-battery storage microgrid projects.