Coupeville School District receives solar grant

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 26, 2026

The Coupeville School District has one of the 57 new clean energy projects in the works in Washington.

Supported by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, the Coupeville School District won a $552,673 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for a solar renewable energy system in the high school. The funds are part of a $34.8 million investment from the department into clean energy projects across the state. These projects each involve solar installations, battery energy storage systems, microgrids, biomass facilities and renewable hydrogen technologies, states a press release.

“These investments demonstrate Commerce’s commitment to moving projects quickly from concept to construction,” said Commerce Interim Director Sarah Clifthorne in a press release. “I’m excited we’re helping neighborhoods become more resilient and helping make clean energy more affordable.”

District staff applied for the state Department of Commerce Clean Energy Grant in the 2024-25 competitive grant cycle this fall and winter, Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood wrote in an email to the News-Times.

This is the school district’s first solar photovoltaic system, a milestone that is meaningful to the superintendent.

“It validates our commitment to responsible stewardship of public resources and our belief that schools should model the environmental values we teach our students,” Leatherwood said. “Seeing a project of this scale come to life at Coupeville High School is something our entire community can be proud of.”

The new “AC solar array” should generate about 157,300 kWh per year, she said, which will cut down on the school district’s energy expenses and its carbon footprint. It will also serve as a “living learning lab,” which will allow students and teachers to utilize a monitoring dashboard for science, engineering, environmental studies and career-technical education.

Becky Cays, the high school and middle school principal, is optimistic about what the grant means for her students.

“As a high school principal, I think every day about preparing our students for the world ahead of them,” she said. “Having a working solar system right here on our campus means clean energy is not just something we read about in a textbook. It is something our students can see, touch and learn from every single day.”

The new grant also reduces financial pressure on Coupeville’s taxpayers, Leatherwood said. Not only that, less energy costs also means more resources going directly to students, she added.

“That is a win for everyone,” Leatherwood said.