Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published July 29, 2026 1:15 P.M.

(Beaver Falls, Pa) A new interactive solar power system was unveiled Wednesday morning in Beaver Falls. The switch was flipped to turn on the system shortly after 11am at Neighborhood Hood Museum of Play.

The total installation features a ground mounted solar array, a battery bank and power inverter, solar exhibits, and a solar powered van to use as a mobile classroom, which will expand access to other communities.

The purpose of the system is to let kids experience solar power at an interactive level, offering learning opportunities in the field of solar energy.

When Neighborhood North eventually moves to their future long term location at the old News-Tribune building, they plan to further expand the system on a larger scale.

The installation is the first Rural Innovation through Solar Empowerment (RISE) project in Beaver County. The RISE partnership was brought together by nonprofits RiverWise and the Pennsylvania Solar Center.

Representatives of Neighborhood North and RiverWise spoke at the event along with Beaver Falls Mayor Kenya Johns highlighting the significance of having such a system available for our local youth.

The two-year project was awarded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energizing Rural Communities Prize and funded by the Environmental Mitigation Community Fund.