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SIUE board approves 25‑year solar PPA with Ameresco, projects $18.5 million in savings
Summary
Trustees approved a 25‑year power purchase agreement and ground lease with Ameresco to build an on‑campus solar array at SIUE. University officials said the PPA locks a below‑market $0.05/kWh rate and will reduce electricity costs while supporting campus sustainability and local jobs.
SIUE trustees approved a 25‑year power purchase agreement and ground lease with Ameresco to build an approximately 25‑acre solar generation facility on campus, the university said in committee presentations.
Dr. Retzlaff, presenting the plan to the Finance Committee, said Ameresco will finance, install and maintain the facility and provide transmission infrastructure tied into SIUE’s campus grid. SIUE would be the sole user of the facility and purchase all generated power at a fixed example rate of $0.05 per kilowatt hour. Using Ameresco’s first‑year production estimate of about 11,420,000 kWh, Retzlaff said the first‑year cost under the PPA would be roughly $571,000 compared with a projected commercial cost of about $1.3 million, producing significant savings in year one and an estimated total savings of about $18.5 million over 25 years if market rates remained constant.
Retzlaff framed the project as Phase 2 of SIUE’s energy plan, following an earlier community solar agreement that yielded an 8% rate reduction. He said the on‑campus array will reduce transmission charges because the facility ties into the university grid and will help avoid estimated peak‑period charges under the MISO market. He also said Ameresco will maintain the project for 25 years and remove it at their cost if SIUE declines to take ownership at the contract’s end.
Trustees approved the project following committee and cross‑committee roll calls. Board materials note the selection of Ameresco followed an RFP and procurement process; Ameresco is based in Framingham, Massachusetts. The presenters said construction and operation are intended to support local solar businesses and workforce development.
The approval authorizes the university to enter the PPA and ground lease and move forward with implementation; project financing and certain contract details were handled through the procurement process described in the board packet. The board’s vote was recorded in committee roll calls and accepted without amendment.
