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Parents question $100,000-a-year solar payments and high electric bills; district pledges follow-up
Summary
Residents questioned a $29,521.36 check to GSRP Project Holding LLC (Goldman Sachs Renewable Power LLC) and multiple payments to a contractor for Mullins School cooling repairs, saying solar payments appear not to offset rising electric bills; district staff said the solar firm bills annually and inspections occur every six months and agreed to provide contract savings figures.
Residents used the public comment period to press the Gloucester Township Board about district energy costs and vendor payments, asking why solar payments appear high and whether solar installations are delivering anticipated savings.
A speaker cited check 135257 for $29,521.36 to "GSRP Project Holding LLC, which is Goldman Sachs Renewable Power LLC," and said the prior month showed a $55,616.70 payment, totaling roughly $100,000 a year under the current arrangement. "Aren't the solar panels supposed to be offsetting electric costs?" the resident asked.
The commenter also described repeated work orders for Mullins School’s cooling tower, citing payments of $33,213 and $28,448 to Peterson for repair, and subsequent rentals of temporary cooling systems ($12,650, $15,798, then another $12,650), which the resident summed to roughly $89,000 to that vendor over the period.
A district staff member replied that the line item is the cost billed by the solar provider and that the contract term is "15 years, maybe." Staff confirmed panels are inspected every six months and said the company monitors performance, but conceded the meeting lacked immediate details about the contract’s projected savings. Staff offered to research the contract specifics and to provide figures on the expected savings and monitoring procedures.
Why it matters: The questions highlight two accountability issues for the district: whether outsourcing energy generation via a private solar arrangement yields the planned net savings, and how the district is managing recurring facilities costs while a capital replacement (a planned replacement next summer was described for the Mullins cooling system) is pending.
What’s next: District staff said they will follow up with documentation about the solar contract terms, monitoring provisions and historical savings estimates, and examine vendor invoices for recent repairs and rentals. Board members agreed the topic is a high priority for follow‑up.
