PGCPS: 11 geothermal systems operational, 5 solar projects active; district seeks master solar vendor pool
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Summary
Sustainability director Dorothy Morrison told the board the district has 11 operational geothermal systems and five operational solar installations, has issued an RFI that returned about 10 vendor responses and is pursuing state rebates and Inflation Reduction Act tax credits while building a 2022–2025 energy-usage baseline.
Prince George’s County Public Schools’ sustainability director Dorothy Morrison presented the district’s renewable-energy and building-efficiency progress to the committee on Nov. 12, saying the work supports the board-approved climate-change action plan and state reporting requirements.
Morrison reported 11 geothermal systems are operational and seven are planned; five solar installations are active and six are in the process of activation. She said the district issued a request for information that generated roughly 10 vendor responses and that staff plan a request for proposals to create a pre-vetted master-solar contract for future deployments.
“We have 11 that are operational. We have 7 that are planned,” Morrison said, and added the district expects to use state funding opportunities — including rebates from the Maryland Energy Administration — as well as tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act to help fund projects.
Morrison flagged data-collection challenges: the district lacks a full utility-consumption baseline and has hired a consultant to compile a 2022–2025 baseline from utility records so staff can monitor and report building energy performance annually. She described technical selection criteria for retrofits (roof condition, location, feasibility) and said new construction will default to including alternative-energy sources where appropriate.
Board members asked for lists of participating schools and clearer public-facing materials for constituents who cannot view slide decks; staff committed to publish links and provide school lists and geothermal/solar school names to the board. Morrison also highlighted student engagement planned for a climate leadership summit and staff engagement on curriculum auditing for climate education.
The committee did not vote on policy changes; Morrison said the district is advancing project planning and vendor procurement work.