PROJECT DETAILS
- FUNDING: $6,730 award from the Solar Finance Fund and a $10,473 short-term zero-interest bridge loan by Invest Appalachia, secured through the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund.
- PLACEMENT: The 14-panel ground-mounted solar array was unveiled in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 25, 2023.
- ENERGY SAVINGS: The solar array will power 100% the organization’s electricity for at least 25-30 years.
- COST SAVINGS: Just For Kids Child Advocacy Center is projected to save over $32,487 in electricity costs in the system’s lifetime.
- IMPACT: Funding this project was a result of stacking solar grants, tax credits and private donations to achieve the organization’s solar power dreams.
Hope powers the Just For Kids Child Advocacy Center every day, but now solar energy is helping keep the lights on. Just for Kids is a nonprofit headquartered in a former bed-and-breakfast situated not far from downtown Beckley, WV. The center provides a place for children who may have been sexually abused to share their experiences with forensic interviewers in a non-threatening environment.
The upfront cost of Just For Kids’ solar project was $28,000, but after a grant from the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, zero-interest bridge loan from Invest Appalachia, tax credit equivalents made available through the Inflation Reduction Act, and private donations, the cost for Just for Kids was $500.
Thanks to a contribution from the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, Just for Kids will enjoy reliable, affordable, self-generated electricity for decades. “It’s a net-zero project, so it doesn’t produce all our electricity all of the time, but it produces more electricity than we need for much of the time.” says Scott Miller, executive director of Just For Kids Advocacy Center,“We thought this would be good for Just For Kids and a good model for the community. It will be really beneficial both in the short and long term.”
The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund is a program dedicated to spurring new solar development in coal-impacted counties of Central Appalachia. If you want to bring solar power to your community, learn more about the fund and apply online for grants and technical assistance from the Solar Finance Fund.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THIS PROJECT
