Pennsylvania schools continue solar projects despite tax rollbacks

Dozens of schools in Pennsylvania seem to be sticking with plans to install solar panels on their roofs, despite the rollback of federal clean energy tax credits in President Donald Trump’s signature budget bill.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Trump signed in July ends several energy tax credits early, including one that many schools plan to use to slash the cost of solar installations under Pennsylvania’s new Solar for Schools program.

None of the schools that received grants through Solar for Schools has informed the state they are pulling out of the program due to the federal rollbacks, said Penny Ickes, spokesperson for Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. One district in Berks County returned grant funds to the state, but did not specify why, Ickes said.

“While things are ever-evolving in D.C., it is our understanding that the schools … will be able to access those federal tax credits and be able to save even more money,” said Pennsylvania state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, who sponsored the Solar for Schools legislation.

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Pennsylvania’s Solar for Schools program awarded its first round of grant funding to 74 schools this spring. The program helps districts pay for the up-front costs of solar installations that will lower their utility bills in the long term.

Districts were expected to use the state money to take advantage of a federal solar tax credit, which became available to schools for the first time through former President Joe Biden’s climate law.

Fiedler’s office had said that by combining the state grants with the federal tax credit, schools could install solar arrays for free or a fraction of the usual cost.