Roxbury board moves to award solar PPA to Advanced Solar Products at 6.7¢/kWh

The Roxbury Township Board of Education voted Oct. 14 to move forward with a recommended third‑party solar power purchase agreement (PPA) after a presentation and evaluation of proposals.

Consultant Andrew Conte of Gable Associates walked the board through an RFP process that received four proposals and used price and non‑price criteria to evaluate vendor responses. Conte said the evaluation ranked Advanced Solar Products (ASP) highest on the recommended option, called “Option 2,” and that the recommended PPA offers a flat 6.71¢ per kilowatt‑hour rate with a 0% escalator over the term. The written resolution read to the board listed a projected total savings of $3,292,332 over the 15‑year model and noted the award is pending attorney review.

Why it matters: the district’s consultant said rising capacity charges in New Jersey’s wholesale market are likely to push utility costs higher, and a fixed‑price PPA can hedge that risk while providing educational and sustainability benefits on school property.

“What that means is the district would purchase electricity at a fixed rate rather than being exposed to utility market volatility,” Conte said. He described the PPA structure as third‑party developers designing, building, owning, operating and maintaining systems on district property while the district buys the generated electricity.

Board members pressed on schedule, design and maintenance. Conte said typical construction timelines run about 12 months, with up to 18 months for larger carport canopy work, and that the recommended vendor’s schedule was aligned to do the bulk of disruptive construction during a single summer. On snow and vehicle safety, he said designs include snow guards as an industry standard mitigation though no design can guarantee zero sloughing in extreme storms. On production and performance, Conte said the developer will guarantee a level of production and must pay the district if guaranteed output is not met.

A member of the public who identified themselves as a commercial property manager urged caution about contract escalators, saying their experience with a prior PPA produced higher than expected rates after escalation. “About two years after we bought the building, the solar rates were higher than JCP&L,” the resident said, urging careful review of contract language. Conte and district staff noted the recommended ASP proposal includes a 0% escalator and emphasized that the board would be approving the proposal terms, not the final contract language, which will require attorney review.

The finance committee moved finance resolutions 1–22, which included adding Resolution 22 to award the renewable energy services proposal to Advanced Solar Products, Option 2 (vendor address listed in the resolution). On roll call the finance package passed; board members recorded yes votes and at least one recusal was noted during roll call for specific travel items. The resolution text as read indicated the award is made pending attorney review and that the RFP and evaluation report are available at the board office.

What comes next: if the board’s acceptance of the proposal stands through attorney review and contract negotiations, Conte said developers would begin permitting and engineering in the months that follow, with construction targeted to begin in spring or summer and be completed within 12–18 months depending on canopy scope. The board’s written resolution preserved that contingency, noting the award is made in accordance with competitive contracting provisions and pending attorney review.

Votes and procedural notes: the finance package that included Resolution 22 passed on roll call Oct. 14; a board member noted recusals on some items during the vote. The RFP required a 15‑year PPA term, price‑plus evaluation criteria and standard contract protections (insurance, roof warranties, production guarantees).