A solar array will soon be installed on the roof of ConVal Regional High School at no cost to the district, according to a recent announcement by Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders.
In a contract with Revision Energy, the installation of the 555-panel system will be financed by the company’s investors. The district will purchase the electrical output through a power purchase agreement, in which Revision Energy will be responsible for construction, operation, and maintenance of the solar array while the district will only pay for the use of the energy.
The cost to the district will be 8.8 cents per kilowatt hour for the first year of the contract, a rate that will increase by 2% yearly. This is about half of what the district currently pays, which is 16 cents per kilowatt hour.
Not all of the high school’s energy needs will be met by the panels, but they are expected to result in cost savings.
Superintendent Rizzo Saunders hailed the agreement as a step forward for clean energy, and a good move for the district’s future, both financially and environmentally. She also said that it grants the district flexibility in how it approaches energy needs.
After five years of the agreement, the district will have the option to purchase the panels from Revision Energy. If purchased, the district will not pay for the energy generated by the panels, and the district estimates a potential for $825,000 worth of savings on energy costs over 25 years, and $2 million over the panels’ 40-year lifespan.
If they choose not to, the option will continue to be available for 25 years, at which point they will be removed at no cost.