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Solar power to light up Manatee School for the Arts

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Published  April 25, 2025 10:45pm EDT
Manatee County
FOX 13 News

Manatee County school transitions to solar power

FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

The Brief

    • Manatee School for the Arts will soon run on solar power.
    • Crews are installing solar panels, with the school expecting to see a 90% decrease in utility costs.
    • It is the largest rooftop solar installation of its size at any school in the state.

PALMETTO Fla. - Within a few weeks, Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto will soon run on solar power, and officials are busy installing solar panels. 

The project is the largest rooftop solar installation of its size at any school in the state. The school expects to see a 90% decrease in its utility costs. 

What they're saying:

"We are trying to teach our students to be better stewards of our community, and this is a great model of that," said Manatee School for the Arts Principal Dr. Steve Marshall. 

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The school is converting to solar energy thanks to a partnership with Tampa Bay Solar. 

"The cost of energy has been increasing substantially over the last decade. This kind of installation, this two-megawatt, 3,000-panel installation, allows schools to save a tremendous amount of money," said Shannon Rutherford with Tampa Bay Solar.

It’s something the school has been considering for years. 

"It’s something we have always thought about, and it was just a matter of the right time and right moment with the right type of finances to take on this project," said Marshall. 

Dig deeper:

Work has started, and the panels are ready to cover more than 250,000 square feet of rooftop space.

"This project involves over 3,100 solar panels," said Vice President of Renaissance Arts and Education and CFO for Manatee School for the Arts and Hola Elementary, Timothy McMurrary. 

"As utility costs continue to escalate, we were looking at half a million dollars a year in utility costs to support our campus here and 27 acres. How do we offset that?" said McMurray. 

Big picture view:

The money saved will be put towards growing their education programs. 

"By minimizing these utility costs, we are freeing up operational costs that we can better utilize for students and teachers in the classrooms," said McMurray. 

McMurray said it’s a $4,000,000 project that will pay for itself within seven years and could last for 25 years or more.   

"We are hoping it will build a good case study that other schools can benefit from, and invest their state money wisely for future generations," McMurray said.

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The Source: FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon collected the information in this story.

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