The impressive amount of solar energy being used in the District is largely due to the efforts of the group Solar on La Crosse Schools (SOLS). SOLS educates, advocates, and raises funds to make solar energy a reality sooner for the School District of La Crosse.

Northside Elementary installed the District’s largest solar array in October 2022, and they are a great example of the energy - and cost-savings solar provides. Highlights include:

• The system will offset nearly 30% of the building’s energy usage.

• The system is expected to help the School District avoid nearly $500,000 in energy costs over its 25-year warranty period.

• The array will offset the energy equivalent of burning just over 3 million pounds of coal. 

• The carbon offset will be roughly equivalent to planting 72,300 trees. 

In addition to solar, Northside Elementary incorporates geothermal heating. 71 heat pumps were installed over a decade ago to draw up underground temperatures to the surface and distribute the warm air throughout the building. The cost savings are substantial.

Hamilton Elementary also has a solar system and the annual energy savings are estimated at $10,000. Solar Connections provides real-time monitoring of the systems at all of the District’s solar schools, showing the exact amount of energy being produced at each of the schools with solar and the amount of CO2 emissions.  The solar system at Hamilton, as of Dec 19, 2024, has saved 586,318.94 lb of CO2 Emissions – that’s the equivalent of planting over 4000 trees!

Summit Elementary is the District’s environmental school and has incorporated solar energy not only for the building but also into an outdoor classroom (image above).  This allows students to plug in devices and conduct class outside.

Looking ahead, the District is developing plans to increase the use of sustainable energy and associated cost savings. It formed a committee of 8 people in February to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP) policy for the District. to the Plan will build on the successful solutions the District has already implemented. Representation on the committee included teachers, a common councilmember, sustainable advisors, and representatives from rain garden & solar installation companies.

Learn more about the various solar installations and projects planned at SOLS.