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Penncrest receives $336,960 solar grant; board asks for vendor presentation before acceptance
Summary
Penncrest officials said the district was awarded a DECD solar grant of $336,960 for a proposed Sagerstown High School installation and asked staff to arrange a vendor presentation to firm up costs, payback estimates and installation options before formally accepting the grant.
Board members were notified that Penncrest School District was awarded $336,960 from a DECD solar grant program for a proposed solar project at Sagerstown High School. The business manager, Kristen, told the board the grant award that the district applied for was for $336,960 (the program awards up to $500,000). The grant must be accepted within 45 days and, if unused, the funds revert to the state after three years.
Kristen reviewed preliminary project estimations: an initial installed cost estimate of about $2,700,000; uncertainty about future tax credits (which had been estimated at about 40% but may be reduced); and a post-incentive, approximate net cost "casually" estimated at about $1,200,000. She said the current consultant estimate put the simple payback at roughly five years but cautioned those numbers depend on final incentives, SREC (solar renewable energy credit) values and tax-credit details. "We do have to accept the grant within 45 days," Kristen said. "If we do not use that within 3 years, it goes back to the state. This is a DECD grant."
Board members asked how the panels could be deployed (roof, parking canopy, other) and how the district might generate ongoing revenue from the installation. One board member said it would be "crazy not to take it," and several members signaled support for scheduling a vendor presentation in August so the board could consider formal acceptance before the 45-day window closed. No formal vote to accept the grant was recorded at the meeting; the board directed staff to arrange an in-depth presentation from a vendor and to return with firm cost and financing options.
The board also discussed the timeline and next steps for decision-making. Kristen said the grant award requires use within three years and that district staff will need to firm up assumptions about tax credits and projected energy savings before committing. The item remains on the board—s work plan pending a vendor presentation and a formal acceptance vote.
