Work on an advanced, hurricane-resistant solar roof wrapped up this week at Warren Easton Senior High School, the first project of a partnership between Entergy Corporation, Nike Corporation, Winrock International, the Louisiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the city of New Orleans.

The New Orleans public school is now equipped with a 28-kilowatt solar array that will produce approximately 37,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually - enough to power three typical residential homes.

The partners committed almost $1.7 million to the project with $1.5 million coming from Entergy Corp. The installation at Warren Easton, which becomes the largest solar array in the city, cost approximately $500,000, including equipment, materials and installation.

"Entergy is committed to helping rebuild our community in a way that is environmentally sustainable," said Rod West, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, Inc. "We are proud to be the lead sponsor of the New Orleans Solar Schools Initiative, which supports the benefits of clean, alternative energy and energy conservation, and even more importantly teaches those benefits to our children - our future leaders."

The project includes an instructional component that will help educate both students and teachers about conservation and renewable energy. Students will use the solar equipment as a first-hand learning tool to research and report on how energy conservation can integrate with solar power.

The New Orleans Solar School Initiative originated with Entergy's purchase of carbon offsets - registered on Winrock International's American Carbon Registry - from Nike in 2006. The transaction was part of Entergy's long-range plan to stabilize CO2 emissions 20 percent year 2000 levels through 2010. Nike donated $150,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the carbon offsets, and Entergy committed up to $1.5 million - part of which is tied to an agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - to install solar systems at New Orleans public schools.

"The New Orleans Solar Schools Initiative is an important component of the efforts of the city of New Orleans to reach the objectives outlined in the 'Solar America City' program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy," said Mayor C. Ray Nagin. "The use of carbon offsets to fund this project also realizes the goals set forth in the city's carbon footprint analysis, which is also done in collaboration with Entergy. We look forward to working together to further advance our city's economic future while simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint."

"In this project, Nike and Entergy found a way to use the market to reduce emissions and help students and teachers learn the skills future energy managers will need," said John Kadyszewski, director of the American Carbon Registry at Winrock International.

The project is being coordinated by Winrock, a nonprofit organization based in Little Rock, Ark. The project contractor was Advanced Roofing, Inc. Other project partners include the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and Think Energy.

Entergy's Past Solar Projects:
Solar Installations
Dryades YMCA Project
Environmental Performance

About Entergy:
www.entergy.com
About Nike:
www.nikebiz.com
About Winrock International:
www.winrock.org
About the Louisiana Chapter of U.S. Green Building Council:
www.usgbc-louisiana.org
About the City of New Orleans
www.cityofno.com

Entergy Corporation

Entergy Corporation

Entergy is a Fortune 500 company that powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. Learn more at entergy.com and follow @Entergy on social media. #WePowerLife

Corporate Social Responsibility at Entergy

For more than 100 years, Entergy has powered life in our communities through strategic philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy’s corporate social responsibility initiatives help create and sustain thriving communities, position the company for sustainable growth and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our top CSR priorities are education/workforce development, poverty solutions/social services and environmental programs. Entergy annually contributes $16-$18 million in shareholder-funded grants to approximately 2,000 nonprofit organizations in the communities where we operate. In addition, our employees volunteer more than 100,000 hours in those communities' values at more than $3 million.

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