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School committee approves four solar PPAs to supply roughly one‑third of campus electricity
Summary
The committee approved four power purchase agreements and leases for rooftop arrays and parking‑lot canopies at district sites, authorizing Superintendent Peter to execute contracts that include a 0% price escalator; vendors will proceed with interconnection applications and bear tax‑credit risk.
The Acton‑Boxborough Regional School Committee voted Thursday to approve four solar power purchase agreements and associated leases for district properties and to authorize Superintendent Peter to sign the contracts and related documents.
Kate (the vendor representative introduced by district staff) and district energy staff described four projects: two parking‑canopy arrays planned for the main campus, a rooftop array at Boardwalk, and a rooftop array at Paul P. Gates Elementary. The three arrays at the main campus and the rooftop installation at Boardwalk were presented as providing roughly one‑third of those campuses’ electricity usage in the vendors’ projections.
Committee members asked about interconnection and permitting with Eversource and about the federal investment tax credit that underwrites project economics. Kate said interconnection applications are filed and that vendors have received positive signals but do not yet hold final interconnection permits. She also said the contracts the committee approved include a 0% escalator (no annual price increases) and that the vendor would bear the risk if federal tax credits change.
Adam moved to approve the PPAs and leases and to authorize the superintendent to execute them; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The motion specified that if contract prices are later reduced under procurement rules, the superintendent may execute corresponding amendments as approved by the committee.
What’s next: Vendors will continue engineering, pursue interconnection permits with Eversource, finalize construction schedules (parking canopies require summer work for steel), and return final project timelines to the district. The district will track whether a future battery storage opportunity becomes feasible if state permitting and market conditions change.
