> Tunkhannock believes it could save upwards of $1 million a year by switching to solar, money that could be used for student initiatives. > “It was always a f

> Tunkhannock believes it could save upwards of $1 million a year by switching to solar, money that could be used for student initiatives. > “It was always a financial decision,” Suppon said. “We wanted to be able to offset our energy costs, produce our own energy and only pay distribution [fees] back to the grid.” > There’s one catch: Tunkhannock’s plan to go solar is contingent upon winning more than $1 million in funding from the state’s Solar for Schools program. Currently in its inaugural year, Solar for Schools was born from a bill that faced an uphill battle in a legislature where environmental bills often die by attrition — a battle that required its creator, progressive Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) to reach across the aisle and help marry what are often competing interests in the state — labor, education and climate. If they are really going to save $1M/year on a project that requires $1M, then they can easily issue a bond to cover this. But those numbers are clearly exaggerated and I bet this entire idea is only going to be worthwhile at this latitude if the bulk of the capital costs are externalized.