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MSD of New Durham Township board confronts solar outage, disputed NIPSCO billing and overheating inverters
Summary
District staff told the board an array outage beginning March 8 went unnoticed until May, and the district is awaiting a NIPSCO credit after being billed roughly double the usual amount; staff also reported multiple inverters overheating in the field.
The MSD of New Durham Township school board spent a substantial portion of its June 11 meeting on problems with the district’s solar array and a disputed utility bill. District staff said the array stopped sending credited power March 8, 2025, and staff did not notice the problem until May 2025 after NIPSCO’s billing showed unexpected charges.
Brian Ton told the board that NIPSCO determined a recloser switch had been in the off position and later traced the problem to a coaxial cable tied to a backup radio tower. Ton said district staff have worked with NIPSCO crews and that “we have everything up and running at this point.” He also said he had written a synopsis letter for the board to review before sending it to the district’s lawyer.
Board member Christopher deBruyn told the board that, in his view, the district produced power during the outage but was not credited by the utility. DeBruyn said communications with Fronius, the inverter manufacturer, raised concerns about panel positioning and that some panels were not installed optimally. The board was told that many inverters are now overheating — particularly the upright units in the field behind the softball field — and that staff have inspected them for debris.
Board President Mark Parkman said the district expects a 30-year life expectancy for the system and that after 30 years it would be expected to produce at about 80% of rated output. Parkman urged caution on the current NIPSCO bill: he told members he would like the district to withhold payment of “this month's NIPSCO bill until we hear back from them.”
Administrators also reported that HVAC systems are currently running at full capacity, which appears to have raised usage; staff said the current NIPSCO charge is roughly double what it is typically at this time of year. The board instructed staff to continue communications with NIPSCO, to pursue the promised credit, and to have the district lawyer review a summary letter before further action.
Next steps the board noted: await NIPSCO’s credit determination, monitor overheating inverters in the field, and pursue possible options with Johnson Controls regarding HVAC operation and long-term equipment wear.
