• Valley View Elementary in Toppenish is installing solar panels and battery storage to combat rising electricity costs that jumped 27% in one year

• The project, funded by a Washington State Department of Commerce grant, will provide backup power during outages and serve as an educational tool for STEM students

• The system is expected to be fully operational by May, with potential savings of thousands of dollars annually

TOPPENISH, Wash. — Valley View Elementary School is undergoing a clean energy transformation designed to lower utility costs and improve emergency preparedness as the Toppenish School District moves closer to renewable energy.

The district received funding through a Washington State Department of Commerce grant to install solar panels and a battery storage system on the elementary school campus. The project focuses on improving energy efficiency in older school buildings while meeting federal energy standards.

District leaders say the initiative was driven primarily by rising electricity costs across the district.

“This project getting up and running was really the result of rising energy costs associated with electricity here at Valley View and really district-wide,” said Brittany Kaple, director of public relations for the Toppenish School District. “We’ve seen massive jumps year to year, and in one year specifically, about 27%.”

The project has entered its final phase. Solar panels have already been installed on the school, and crews recently poured the concrete pad that will support the battery storage system. Once installed, the system will store excess energy generated by the panels and provide backup power during outages.

“After the concrete is poured, all we have to do is wait for the battery energy storage system to arrive,” Kaple said. “They take about six months to produce since they’re custom-made, and so ours is en route to us.”

District leaders say the battery system represents a crucial component of the project, particularly following recent wildfire-related power outages that affected the area.

“In 2024, we had a series of wildfires that were causing power outages in our district,” Kaple explained. “So what the storage unit will allow us to do is store that energy so that if we have more outages, the building can remain operational.”

The solar project offers the district potential savings of thousands of dollars each year. Beyond cost reduction, officials say it creates new learning opportunities for students.

“So the battery energy storage system has a monitoring dashboard that provides data and analytics that we can use with our STEM students to show how this system is working to reduce energy use,” Kaple said.

District leaders say the project will reduce costs and improve reliability while serving as a hands-on educational tool for students and supporting a more sustainable future.

Officials say the system is expected to be fully operational by May, with a community event planned to showcase the new technology.

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