Summersville schools authorize purchase of 17.5% of landfill solar output to lock in electricity savings

The Summersville School Board voted Aug. 26 to authorize the district to join a group net‑metering agreement that will allocate about 17.5% of a solar array built on the city landfill to the school district.

The deal, presented by Ryan Fahey of Ameresco, will let the district buy roughly 600,000 kilowatt‑hours a year from the landfill array under a 20‑year power purchase agreement. "My name's Ryan Fahey, I'm a Senior Project Manager with Ameresco," Fahey told the board, explaining the array is under construction and will be operational this year.

Board members and district staff said the arrangement requires no upfront payment from the schools and that Ameresco will own and maintain the equipment. Fahey said Ameresco will sell the energy value to the district at a discount; in his example Ameresco would price generation at 10 cents per kWh and sell it to the schools at 9 cents, producing an immediate per‑year saving. "In year 1 the schools would save about $7,000," Fahey said, and the slides supplied to the board estimated about $150,000 of savings over 20 years.

Why it matters: the district uses roughly 1.5 million kWh annually, so the 600,000 kWh allocation would offset about one‑third of current consumption without requiring capital outlay. The city, which originally planned to purchase the array's output, reduced its share and invited the district to participate.

Details and safeguards: Fahey said Ameresco will sign a decommissioning bond to remove equipment at its expense if the project is not renewed at end of life, and that Ameresco will make a property tax/pilot payment to the city. The agreement is structured so the district will not pay more for solar energy than it would otherwise pay Eversource, he said.

Board discussion focused on scale, timing and tradeoffs. Board members asked whether the city's projected savings had begun (the system is not yet operating), how the 17.5% share was calculated, and whether taking that portion would prevent future on‑site solar projects. Fahey and district staff said the district would still have room to pursue on‑site projects or efficiency measures and that the landfill project makes savings available sooner than a new on‑site installation, which could take at least two years.

Formal action: the board voted to waive rules and approve joining the net‑metering arrangement and authorized the board chair or superintendent to execute the contract on the district's behalf. The board recorded the motion and a voice vote in favor.

What happens next: the project team (Ameresco, the city and district staff) will finalize which school accounts receive credits and complete the power purchase agreement. District officials said they will coordinate a presentation or site visit for students interested in the project.

For the record: Eversource is the local utility that will apply credits to the district accounts under New Hampshire's group net‑metering framework.