Woodstock CUSD 200 board approves smaller solar installation, directs staff to pursue added capacity if utility approves

The Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education on Oct. 12 voted to authorize a contract change order to build a 590-kilowatt solar array, approving a not-to-exceed cost of $1,400,000 and directing the administration to keep pursuing approval from ComEd to expand the system if possible.

The vote followed extended discussion about earlier engineering work, costs the district has already incurred and uncertainty about utility interconnection approvals and available incentives. The board first considered a separate motion to proceed with a larger, roughly 953-kilowatt system tied to a contractor’s package; that motion failed, and a subsequent motion to limit the scope to the 590-kilowatt system passed.

Board members and staff raised three recurring points during the debate: (1) ComEd has restricted the amount of capacity the district can interconnect at some sites, which forced the district to revise earlier plans; (2) the district has already…