| Solar storage is helping the Golden State's schools remain open — and safe — during wildfires. When it comes to schools and solar power, the Santa Rita Union School District tops the class. Last year, the Salinas-based district of 3,600 students became the first nationwide with the capacity to become entirely energy self-sufficient, with a microgrid — a combination of solar panels and battery storage units — at each school site. Yet the district is an exemplar of a larger pattern that’s redefining how American schools respond to climate change. From Nevada to New York City, Arizona to Hawaii, a growing number of school districts are investing in solar microgrids. But it’s California that’s driving this move, at a time the state finds itself repeatedly singed by wildfires. | 
