Massachusetts School Completes 2 MW Solar Installation

Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA has completed construction of a 2-megawatt solar installation that will go online this fall.

The 8-acre installation, developed, engineered, and built by PowerPlay Solar, comprises 8,020 solar panels on fixed racks and 312 on solar-tracking racks, and will provide 45 percent of the school's annual energy needs. The crystalline silicon panels were manufactured by SolarWorld.

As part of a 15-year-long power purchase agreement, the school paid no upfront costs for the installation in exchange for a fixed price on the energy produced by the system over the life of the contract.

The project is part of larger sustainability efforts at Berkshire, which the school defines as "the pursuit toward three interrelated objectives," according to information on its site. The objectives are environmental integrity, economic justice, and social equity.

Sustainability initiatives at Berkshire are led by students in an elective class called Sustainability and Resource Management. Guided by faculty and staff on the school's sustainability committee, students are responsible for everything from background research and risk analysis of potential projects, to drafting and presenting proposals to the committee and reaching out to the public in an effort to create a dialogue around sustainability issues.

Other sustainable initiatives at Berkshire include:

  • Energy audits of the campus fleet and buildings performed by students;
  • Student managed outreach campaigns;
  • Emissions tracking through the Clean Air-Cool Planet calculator; and
  • A student-led life-cycle assessment program designed to reduce the environmental impact of campus goods and services.

Berkshire school is a private boarding high school serving 380 students with 61 teachers and $94 million endowment. More information on the school's sustainability efforts is available at berkshireschool.org.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • blue AI cloud connected to circuit lines, a server stack, and a shield with a padlock icon

    Report: AI Security Controls Lag Behind Adoption of AI Cloud Services

    According to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Wiz, nearly nine out of 10 organizations are already using AI services in the cloud — but fewer than one in seven have implemented AI-specific security controls.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • tutors helping young students with laptops against a vibrant abstract background

    K12 Tutoring Earns ESSA Level II Validation

    Online tutoring service K12 Tutoring recently announced that it has received Level II validation underneath the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The independently validated study provides evidence of K12 Tutoring's role in creating positive student outcomes through effective academic intervention and research-based solutions.

  • various technology icons including a cloud, AI chip, and padlock shield above a laptop displaying charts and cloud data

    Data Security Report Identifies Cloud Governance Gaps, AI Impact

    A recent Varonis data security report notes that excessive permissions and AI-driven risks are leaving cloud environments dangerously exposed.