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Anchor Bay board approves $3M solar project after debate over savings and warranties
Summary
The district awarded a nearly $3.0 million contract for a high-school solar array. Board members split 5–2 on the decision after questions about long-term savings, panel warranties and roof interactions with the array.
The Anchor Bay School District Board of Education approved a $2,995,000 contract with EcoJiva (bidder identified in the packet as EcoDiva/EcoJiva) to design and install a rooftop and parking-lot solar system at the high school, voting to accept the award at the May 28 meeting after a substantive presentation and post-bid interviews.
Superintendent Phil Jankowski and the district’s owner's representative reviewed the procurement process and financial modeling; they told the board the project is expected to produce an estimated $2.57 million in net savings over a 30-year analysis after accounting for debt service and projected rebates under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The district will fund the work through an energy conservation bond separate from the 2022 voter-approved bond program.
During the public discussion and post-bid interviews the district highlighted that EcoJiva was not the lowest bidder by price, but offered a higher validated savings estimate, an approach to utility-bill‑based performance guarantees and experience with DTE interconnection procedures. EcoJiva representatives and the district’s owner’s representative said those factors reduced implementation risk and improved the likelihood of successful interconnection and timely project delivery.
Board members asked detailed questions about warranties and long-term production guarantees. EcoJiva and the district’s consultant explained the accepted bid includes manufacturer performance (production) guarantees for up to 30 years while conventional product warranties on physical panel components may be stated with shorter product-warranty windows; the firms said production guarantees and system-level service plans are standard on utility-scale panels but acknowledged the market’s warranty language can be complex.
Board discussion also covered potential future costs if the roof requires repair during the array’s lifespan and whether roof warranties and building insurance would cover required removal and reinstallation work. The district said it had included a contingency and a $150,000 placeholder for inverter replacement/maintenance in its life-cycle costs and described contractual steps it would take to preserve roofing warranties during installation.
The motion to award EcoJiva’s proposal passed on a roll-call vote. Two board members voted no and explained concerns about the effective payback and long-term warranty language; proponents said conservative modeling and IRA rebates made the project attractive.
District staff said they will proceed with contract finalization, add contractual clarity on long-term guarantees, and coordinate bond/financing steps to capture available federal tax credits and rebates.
