Tempe board approves Schneider Electric contract for solar arrays, EV chargers at Curry and Connolly
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Summary
The Tempe School District governing board approved a contract not to exceed $12 million with Schneider Electric to install about 1.6 megawatts of solar and EV bus chargers at Curry and Connolly schools, with the district aiming to secure federal investment tax credit funding by year-end.
The Tempe School District governing board on Sept. 17 approved a contract with Schneider Electric not to exceed $12,000,000 to install solar arrays and electric-bus charging infrastructure at Curry and Connolly schools.
The contract covers roughly 1.6 megawatts of solar at the two campuses, shaded student and pickup areas, and one Level 3 rapid EV bus charger at each site. Schneider Electric and district staff told the board the district plans to procure panels before the end of 2025 to capture about $2,500,000 in Investment Tax Credit (ITC) funding, a step officials said is necessary to maximize available grant and tax-credit support.
"Pending the governing board's approval tonight on this, we will be, finalizing the contracts and procuring those solar panels, just before the end of the year, so we can we can make sure that we're checking that box to continue to maximize funding there with the ITC," Schneider Electric representative Brandon Woodward told the board during a presentation.
District officials presented preliminary project financials showing a turnkey estimate of about $10,800,000 before grants. After the cited $2,500,000 in ITC funding the project was shown with a net cost of about $8,300,000. Schneider Electric and district staff characterized the installations as guaranteed-savings projects and presented a projected lifetime savings figure of about $14,300,000.
Superintendent Dr. James Driscoll told the board that state legislation defines the projects as "guaranteed savings projects" and that the district would be held financially responsible if actual savings fell short of projections. "If we say we're gonna save $14,300,000 ... we're physically writing a check for that $100,000 on an annual basis to to rectify that," Driscoll said, describing the contract structure intended to protect the district.
Board members asked implementation questions during the presentation. One asked where early-procured panels would be stored; Woodward said either off-site storage (for a modest monthly fee) or on-site secured storage were both options to be coordinated with district operations. Another board member emphasized why the district is using capital funds now to buy equipment that will reduce future maintenance-and-operations (M&O) expenses.
Board discussion also covered earlier district sustainability phases: LED lighting upgrades, building-automation optimization, covered parking and play-area solar at other sites, and water-efficiency measures. Schneider Electric said the broader multi-phase program is projected to save the district more than $1,000,000 a year in M&O and around $45,000,000 over the project lifecycle, figures presented as part of ongoing district energy-efficiency efforts.
The motion to approve the Schneider Electric contract passed on an aye vote.
Next steps described to the board: finalize and sign contracts, procure panels before the ITC deadline, and coordinate construction timing with DLR and Core Construction to limit disruption at the two campuses during school operations.
Evidence from the meeting: the board considered the contract during agenda item 8.01, Schneider Electric presented design and financial details, and the board voted to approve the contract with a not-to-exceed cap of $12,000,000.
