Got Electric solar panel donation supports adult care organization in Virginia

A Maryland solar contractor, Got Electric, donated 57 surplus solar panels to Shenandoah County SEARCH, a Virginia nonprofit that runs a group home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and a community thrift store in Mount Jackson. Twelve of the panels are already installed at the group home, done by Green Hill Solar in late July. The other 45 panels are earmarked for a bigger system at the SEARCH thrift store, once the nonprofit raises about $29,000 more to cover installation costs.

The group home’s new solar system is expected to produce about 5,644 kilowatt-hours a year, covering roughly 75% of its electricity use. The larger thrift store system, once funded, is projected to produce about 24,700 kilowatt-hours a year and cover more than 65% of that building’s power needs. SEARCH spent around $11,500 on electricity over the past fiscal year, and the savings from solar are meant to free up money for resident care, home upkeep and activities rather than utility bills.

This isn’t a program homeowners can apply to directly — it’s a charitable donation arranged through the nonprofit GiveSolar, which matches surplus panels from installers with organizations that need them. But it shows one path nonprofits are using to afford solar: getting panels donated and then raising money separately to cover installation. Anyone interested in supporting the thrift store project can donate through SEARCH’s website.