Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solar Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DeKalb schools plan competitive RFP for on-site solar after consultant's feasibility finds large savings potential
Summary
Consultant Nania Group presented a feasibility study showing rooftop and ground-mounted solar on DeKalb CUSD 428 sites could offset significant portions of school electricity loads; the board gave consensus to proceed with a request-for-proposals process to seek competitive power-purchase agreements
The DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 received a presentation from energy consultant Nania Group on a proposed district-wide solar program and agreed by consensus to bring a competitive request-for-proposals (RFP) for board consideration.
Nanias preliminary feasibility study estimated a rooftop array at DeKalb High School of roughly 2 megawatts that could offset about three-quarters of the high school's annual electricity use; other school sites showed potential offsets ranging from under half to two-thirds of annual consumption. The firm presented an illustrative power-purchase agreement (PPA) framework in which a third-party developer installs and operates arrays at no upfront cost to the district and the district buys solar energy at a fixed per-kilowatt-hour rate.
Becky Thompson, Nania Group, said district supply contracts and market volatility make solar an attractive mitigation strategy. "I wouldn't anticipate that there would be a material change where you would be subject to early termination penalties," Thompson said when asked whether an existing long-term electricity supply contract would prevent installing solar over time. She advised the district and supplier would coordinate so the district would not face significant early-termination exposure from its current fixed-rate suppliers.
Nania's technical lead said the firm used conservative modeling and recommended a PPA to capture federal tax incentives that a taxable third-party owner can use; the consultant proposed issuing an RFP, evaluating proposals over the summer, and returning to the board with recommended awards and contract terms in early fall. The consultant presented an indicative PPA energy rate of about 6.44c2 c per kWh versus an estimated current grid price near 9c2 c per kWh, with an illustrative first-year savings near $200,000 and an estimated 25-year program savings on the order of $8 million under conservative assumptions.
District officials said the solar approach would preserve the district's capital position because the PPA model requires no district upfront capital, places operations and maintenance responsibility with the developer, and lets the developer claim tax credits. The board's consensus to move forward authorizes administration to prepare an RFP and return with procurement results and specific financial offers.
Why it matters: The district flagged near-term increases in ComEd-related charges as a driver of long-term energy-cost risk and said on-site solar could reduce budget volatility and provide educational and workforce-education opportunities in STEAM-related curricula.
Next steps: If the board approves issuing the RFP, district staff and Nania Group plan a multi-month procurement with awards potentially submitted for board action in September and installation possibly beginning the following spring or summer depending on contract terms and permitting.
