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City committee approves pursuit of rooftop solar lease at Burr Elementary
Summary
The Newton City Finance Committee authorized staff to pursue a third‑party lease and power purchase agreement for rooftop solar at Burr Elementary after a presentation citing an estimated PPA rate a little under $0.07/kWh and projected annual savings of about $30,000.
The Finance Committee voted unanimously to authorize city staff to pursue a third‑party lease and power purchase agreement for rooftop solar at Burr Elementary. The item (docket 2011‑26) was presented by Mr. Nyman, co‑director of sustainability, who described the site and early economics.
"We're requesting your authorization to potentially enter into a lease agreement for the purpose of third‑party construction, ownership, and operation of on‑site renewable solar at Burr Elementary," Mr. Nyman said, noting the roof offers just over 25,000 square feet of usable area. He estimated the system could produce about 286,000 kilowatt‑hours annually and said the preliminary proposal shows a PPA rate "a little under 7 cents a kilowatt hour," with cost savings on the order of $30,000 a year.
The presentation said the city would follow the same model used on 22 prior projects: a private company constructs and owns the panels and the city purchases the output. Mr. Nyman said Select Energy, selected via a Power Options procurement pathway, has been a partner on multiple recent local projects and helped provide early feasibility estimates.
Councilors asked technical and procurement questions. Councelor Malaki asked whether Select Energy was the exclusive choice and how the procurement path worked; Mr. Nyman explained Power Options conducted the competitive solicitation and the city participates as a member. Questions about tree impacts and reflected light were answered by staff, who said the panels are low to the roof and that the only nearby tree is small and not expected to require pruning.
Councelor Greenberg moved approval; the committee voted in favor. Staff said any final lease, PPA terms and detailed site analyses would return to the city during negotiation and that the figures presented were preliminary estimates.
The committee approved the authorization to proceed; next steps are contract negotiations and a detailed technical review before the city signs a lease or PPA.
