Junior Achievement of Arizona to Receive Solar Energy System Through SRP Solar for Nonprofits
The local nonprofit will receive a free solar-covered parking structure to help reduce energy costs
Now in its 17th year, SRP Solar for Nonprofits has selected Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) as the latest Valley nonprofit to receive a free solar-covered parking structure. The shaded parking structure will provide clean energy to the organization, help lower overall carbon emissions and reduce monthly energy costs.
Junior Achievement of Arizona works to prepare students for success through financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship education. The nonprofit has been operating since 1957, and provides services to Arizonans with a focus on serving low-income and diverse students grades kindergarten up to age 25.
“This new solar energy system will help us dedicate more funds to our mission and provides a great student learning opportunity,” said Katherine Cecala, President of Junior Achievement of Arizona. “One of our goals is to teach students about the variety of careers available to them when they grow up, and having this onsite solar energy system will help inspire students interested in science, math and sustainability fields.”
The solar parking structure will be installed at JA’s Tempe campus. The facility annually serves more than 20,000 students, and is also visited by thousands of volunteers, teachers and guests. With energy savings from the new system, the nonprofit will be able to extend its resources to serve more students throughout the state, continuing to grow and expand its service to the students who need educational opportunities the most.
“By providing this deserving Valley nonprofit with a free solar energy system, SRP Solar for Nonprofits is helping this organization reduce their energy costs so they can invest more in advancing their mission and purpose,” said Darrell Bearden, Manager of Distributed Energy Programs at SRP. “This program is made possible thanks to generous donations from SRP customers every month.”
The SRP Solar for Nonprofits program is funded directly by customers who donate as little as $3 per month toward the cause. Customers interested in signing up to donate can visit srpnet.com/account/donate/solar-nonprofits.
More than $1 million has been saved by local nonprofits through the program since it launched in 2007. 51 solar energy systems have been installed since then at a wide variety of organizations, including the Arizona Humane Society, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK), A New Leaf, and Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center High School.
In addition to programs like Solar for Nonprofits, SRP remains committed to the expansion of large-scale solar power and plans to add 2,025 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar to its grid by 2025. In October, SRP announced its transition toward a new Integrated Systems Plan, through which 6,000 MW of large-scale solar will be added to its grid by 2035.
Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that equips Arizona students to succeed in work and life by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career and economic choices. Since 1957, JA has taught kids, kindergarten through high school, about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. The organization’s hands-on, age-appropriate programs are delivered by more than 7,500 corporate and community volunteers. Despite educational obstacles during the pandemic, JA reached approximately 170,000 students in the 2022-2023 school year. Follow @JAArizona on social media or visit jaaz.org/resources for more free online educational tools.
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals.