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Tempe Elementary Board approves $11.48 million Schneider Electric solar and shade project
Summary
The Tempe Elementary School District governing board approved an $11,480,000 contract with Schneider Electric to install roughly 2 megawatts of solar arrays, shaded basketball courts and covered pickup areas at six schools, with a guaranteed savings provision and federal tax incentives reducing net cost.
The Tempe Elementary School District governing board voted April 2 to approve an $11,480,000 contract with Schneider Electric to install solar-covered parking, shaded outdoor areas and related energy-saving measures at six district sites.
District staff and Schneider Electric representatives told the board the project includes about 2 megawatts of solar across six schools, shaded basketball courts and covered student pickup areas intended to provide shade in the desert climate while producing electricity. Brandon Woodward, a representative of Schneider Electric, described a roughly $3.1 million federal investment tax credit (ITC) that will be returned to the district as a rebate and said the net project cost would be roughly $8.4 million after that credit.
"This is a chance for the district to reallocate what would have been $15,000,000 in SRP and APS bills over the next handful of years," Woodward said, explaining projected long-term savings. He also said the company provides a contractual guarantee of savings: "If we do not meet those savings numbers, we physically write a check at the end of every year to make those up."
Board members asked about construction timing, durability and school selection. Woodward said Schneider would schedule most disruptive work during school breaks and try to minimize impact on students and testing windows. He said the steel shade structures and panels were projected conservatively for a 30-year lifespan and that designs would be coated and specified for high-use sites near courts and pickup zones.
Superintendent Driscoll and district staff said the project is intended to reduce future maintenance-and-operations (M&O) utility costs and to align capital bond spending with long-term budget relief.
The contract passed on a voice vote; the board chair announced "motion passes." No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.
Next steps described at the meeting: pending the board approval, construction could begin as early as the following month, with scheduling to prioritize school breaks, and district marketing staff will develop signage and a sustainability landing page to highlight the district's investments.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the contract with Schneider Electric for the utility cost saving projects on April 2, 2025.
