Buckhorn Children and Family Services held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new solar energy installation at the center’s campus in Buckhorn, Kentucky, this fall. The solar project, which was funded in part by the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, is expected to provide a lifetime energy cost savings of $188,622 cost savings and 26.9 KW of renewable energy for the center, allowing BCFS to redirect those savings to its mission of supporting vulnerable children and families in the area. 

The installation’s impact goes beyond reducing BCFS’s power costs. According to Smith, the solar installation aligns with BCFS’s mission to provide mental and physical healing, social acceptance and spiritual hope to at-risk children and families across Kentucky by allowing them to use the savings on energy toward covering programming and administrative overhead costs. In addition to addiction recovery services, BCFS supports foster care in Eastern Kentucky, a residential center for youth with disabilities, outpatient behavioral health services and a family preservation program. 

“For over a century,” Smith wrote in an email, “our people have often been deprived of basic services and opportunities that are often commonplace for others throughout the country.  Arguably byproducts of that economic depression and lack of opportunity, child abuse and neglect, as well as drug and alcohol addiction, are rampant in our communities.” 

He noted that the Buckhorn Children and Family Services has been a refuge for many clients, and sometimes the last hope for treatment.

The installation isn’t BCBF’s first foray into solar arrays. 

The first phase of the installation began in 2021, but due to budgetary constraints at the time, only half of the installation was finished. Smith explained that the second phase was ultimately funded through a collective effort of private and nonprofit funders that included the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, the Mountain Association, Everybody Solar and Solar Moonshot.

The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund leverages partnerships across the Appalachian region to promote sustainable energy solutions for nonprofits and mission-based organizations. Appalachian Voices, the nonprofit organization that publishes The Appalachian Voice, serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund. In this case, the fund contributed a $20,000 grant award to the project.

 “The Solar Finance Fund has been a wonderful community partner,” said Mitch Smith, chief financial officer of Buckhorn Children and Family Services. “They’ve been eager to help in any way they can, not only with the application and funding but in general throughout the entire project.”

The financial benefits of solar energy were also echoed by Josh Bills, senior energy analyst with Mountain Association. 

“Installing solar and offsetting that electric cost instead of purchasing it offers a pretty good rate of return,” Bills said.”Plus, with the Inflation Reduction Act, mission-based organizations like Buckhorn Children’s Center can receive direct financial support.”

Bills explained that nonprofits like BCFS are eligible for a 30% U.S. Treasury payment after installation, along with a 10% bonus for being located in an energy community, covering a substantial 40% of the project’s total cost.

Community leaders and partners shared their support and excitement for BCFS’s new solar installation. 

“As far as the new solar arrays, I’m for anything that would help the cCenter offset costs that they have,” says Rep. Chris Fugate, state representative for Kentucky’s 84th district. “That’s the most exciting thing because it means they can use that money they’re saving to help people.”

“We’ll be able to put that money into better use, into our addiction recovery program,” says Richard Wilson, BCFS’s chief development officer. “We will be able to build for the future with those funds that we would have used towards electrical costs.” 

Community leaders and partners shared their support and excitement for BCFS’s new solar installation. 

“As far as the new solar arrays, I’m for anything that would help the cCenter offset costs that they have,” says Rep. Chris Fugate, state representative for Kentucky’s 84th district. “That’s the most exciting thing because it means they can use that money they’re saving to help people.”

“We’ll be able to put that money into better use, into our addiction recovery program,” says Richard Wilson, BCFS’s chief development officer. “We will be able to build for the future with those funds that we would have used towards electrical costs.” 

Robin Gabbard, president of Mountain Association and chairperson of Buckhorn Children and Family Services, noted the supportive response from local residents since the solar installation’s completion. 

“It’s always a little scary, what your community will think when they look over and see a solar array,” says Gabbard. “But back in 2021 when the [first] array went up, we received great feedback from the community. Having the Solar Finance Fund alongside us to help navigate all of that has been a real boon for this organization.”

The ribbon-cutting event underscored BCFS’s role not only as a provider of community services, but as a regional leader in adopting renewable energy. 

“It’s increasingly clear that we as a global community must turn to alternative sources of energy if we hope to mitigate climate change,” Smith of BCFS wrote. “That change must start somewhere. It’s our hope that by making such substantial changes to our energy structure, as well as through continued projects in the future, we can serve as a leader in this capacity not only for nonprofits, but for businesses and private citizens as well.”