The RISE Project was a two-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energizing Rural Communities Prize to accelerate solar adoption in communities throughout Beaver-County.
“The City of Beaver Falls is delighted to celebrate this landmark in energy education with Neighborhood North: Museum of Play and their partners,” said Mayor Kenya Johns. “Energy prices have gone up about 46 percent since 2018. This solar demonstration system will help Beaver Falls residents and visitors understand how solar works, how it can save them money on their energy bills, and how it can reduce their own carbon footprint. We congratulate all those involved on a job well done.”
Neighborhood North’s solar installation is the first initiative from The RISE Project to come online, and will serve as an additional site for the Energy Discovery Zone, an immersive educational platform developed and installed by AYA Instruments that transforms renewable energy systems into hands-on learning experiences.
The project includes a 2.43 kW ground-mounted solar array, a 190 Ah battery bank, a 15 kW AC inverter, solar exhibits, and a solar-powered Maxwell EV mobile classroom designed to offer a hands-on introduction to solar for the community.
The Mobile Maker Lab will bring Neighborhood North's signature hands-on STEAM experiences directly into communities, making innovative educational programming more accessible to children and families across the region.
“Neighborhood North is proud to have helped design and develop this extension of the Energy Discovery Zone, and we look forward to sharing it with our community,” said Christine Kroger, Executive Director & Founder of the museum. “By integrating arts education with environmental science and renewable energy concepts, we hope our solar demonstration system will inspire curiosity about solar power, increase access to sustainability education, and empower learners of all ages to imagine and be part of shaping a cleaner, more innovative future.”
“As a Pittsburgh-based company committed to educating young people about the future of clean energy, AYA Instruments was thrilled to expand our Energy Discovery Zone in partnership with Neighborhood North,” said Eitan Anouchi, President of AYA Instruments.
“The solar-powered Mobile Maker Lab, built on the Maxwell Vehicle platform, allows these hands-on STEAM experiences to travel beyond the museum and directly into neighboring schools and communities. We aim to help people build the vocabulary, practical skills, and confidence to strengthen our communities, inspire others, and create a brighter energy future for everyone.”
“The RISE Project was designed to function as an incubator and pilot for expanding solar adoption in rural communities and developing a replicable process that can be adopted across the state and the nation,” said Daniel Rossi-Keen, Executive Director at RiverWise. “RiverWise is committed to ensuring that Beaver County is an active participant in the new energy economy, and we hope Neighborhood North’s new solar system will encourage others to learn more about the value that local energy production can add to their lives and communities.”
“The PA Solar Center applauds Neighborhood North Museum of Play for their leadership and vision in promoting solar education,” said Amelia Eggan, Assistant Director of Outreach and Strategy at the PA Solar Center, whose GET Solar program provides free-to-low-cost technical assistance and consulting to organizations pursuing solar energy projects. “It was an honor for our GET Solar program to assist such a unique and notable project, and it is our hope that it will serve as an inspiration to other area organizations and businesses in flipping the switch to solar.”
Solar energy is the fastest-growing energy in the country and is saving businesses, nonprofits, communities, and residents thousands of dollars in utility bills.
Businesses that go solar are hedging against volatile electricity pricing because once the upfront equipment costs are paid, the cost of solar is free.
Two additional initiatives of The RISE Project are also nearing completion-- one at the New Brighton High school, and the other at the Ambridge Municipal Complex.
Each of these projects were funded, in part, through the Shell Petrochemical Plant Penalty Environmental Mitigation Community Fund. Read more here.
Public “flip the switch” ceremonies for both of these projects will be announced in the fall of 2026.
Neighborhood North Museum of Play is a nonprofit children’s museum based in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, that inspires curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning through the power of play.
Serving children, families, artists, educators, and communities across western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and northern West Virginia, Neighborhood North integrates science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) into engaging, hands-on learning experiences that foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
RiverWise exists to organize community voice and power so that residents can exercise agency over the future of Beaver County. RiverWise accomplishes its mission in three ways.
They produce community storytelling that disrupts the idea that Beaver County’s best days are behind it.
They undertake project identification and management that demonstrates what a more organized and visionary future for the region looks like.
And they build partnerships and secure resources to help residents of the region bring about their future vision for the region.
Because their mission is broad and deep, and because they are the only nonprofit intermediary serving all of Beaver County, RiverWise is intentionally agnostic about the nature of the projects we are willing to tackle.
PA Solar Center is a nonprofit organization with the mission to expand the benefits of solar to all Pennsylvanians through full-spectrum solar consulting, which includes preliminary feasibility assessment, financial navigation, bid support, and communication strategy.
The Center advises non-profit organizations, businesses, schools, faith communities, farms, and communities through their keystone GET Solar program, and also offers savvy media communications, resources, and programming to educate all solar stakeholders.
New Sun Rising is a nonprofit community development organization based in Millvale, PA, dedicated to supporting community leaders with the skills, funding, connections, and data to overcome the challenges of our time.
New Sun Rising is guided by a vision of a future where all communities are vibrant places of culture, sustainability, and opportunity.
They work with nonprofits, social enterprises, and collaboratives to build vibrant communities by strengthening capacity, making funding accessible, and embracing data-informed approaches.
AYA Instruments has supplied precision electrical measurement and monitoring solutions to the conventional and renewable energy industries.
Serving customers globally, AYA provides current transformers, metering transformers, signal conditioners, power monitoring solutions, and custom-engineered products that help utilities, manufacturers, renewable energy developers, and industrial facilities accurately measure and manage electrical systems.
The Energy Discovery Zone (EDZ) is an immersive educational initiative created by AYA Instruments that transforms renewable energy systems into interactive learning experiences.
Through hands-on exhibits, educational games, mobile learning experiences, and real-world energy demonstrations, EDZ helps students, educators, and communities explore how electricity is generated, measured, stored, and used.
Related Articles This Week:
NewsClips:
-- Erie Times: $263 Million, 1,200 Acre Solar Energy Facility Nears Final Approval In 4 Erie County Townships
-- Scranton Times Letter: Solar Energy On Abandoned Mine Lands Solution For Soaring Energy Costs - By Robert Hughes, Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation
-- Utility Dive: President’s ‘Vindictive’ Use Of $7.6 Billion In Energy, Other Grants Sparks Backlash
[Posted: July 29, 2026] PA Environment Digest
