Secure Solar Futures has completed the installation of a 766.79-kilowatt rooftop solar power system at Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
The system was delivered at no upfront capital cost to the college under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Secure Solar Futures. Under the agreement, the company will own, operate and maintain the system, while selling electricity to the college at a rate lower than the local utility.
A total of 1,651 solar panels manufactured by Jinko Solar were installed across four campus buildings: Dalton-Cantrell Hall, Holton Hall, Robb Hall and Phillips-Taylor Hall. In its first year of operation, the system is expected to generate 1,087,016 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, meeting approximately 31% of the college’s annual energy demand.
According to the college, the clean energy produced will be sufficient to power 78 average Virginia homes in its first year and will avoid an estimated 958 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. The emissions reduction is equivalent to removing 223 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road or the carbon sequestered by 961 acres of U.S. forests, based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency metrics.
MECC President Kristen Westover said the solar project represents both financial and environmental progress for the institution, while also symbolising economic transformation in southwest Virginia.
Workforce development and job creation
The project also included a workforce development component. Five MECC students participated in the installation through a training programme led by Secure Solar Futures in partnership with GOT Electric, the project’s construction contractor.
Students completed a seven-day intensive classroom course covering industrial safety, construction fundamentals, the National Electrical Code and solar installation techniques, earning nine college credits each. They then moved to hands-on training under the supervision of NABCEP-certified installers.
Secure Solar Futures provided each student with a $500 stipend for classroom completion, covered travel costs and supplied work boots and toolkits. During on-site training, participants were employed by GOT Electric at a wage of $17 per hour. Upon completion of the internship, all five students were offered and accepted permanent positions with GOT Electric.
Long-term savings and funding support
Over the 25-year PPA term, MECC is projected to save $621,986 in net avoided electricity costs. At the end of the agreement, the college may purchase the system at a nominal cost, allowing it to generate electricity for the remainder of the equipment’s 35- to 40-year lifespan. Total net savings over 35 years are estimated at $2.43 million.
The project received a $100,000 incentive grant from the Coalfield Solar Fund, which is backed by global financial technology company Intuit. The fund supports solar installations at K–12 schools and community colleges in Virginia and West Virginia with historic ties to the coal industry.
Secure Solar Futures CEO Tony Smith said the project demonstrates regional leadership in clean energy adoption and positions MECC as a pioneer within the Virginia Community College system.
MECC is the first institution in Virginia’s 23-college community college network to utilise a statewide agreement enabling colleges to procure solar power at no upfront cost through a PPA with Secure Solar Futures.
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