School Board: No More Solar to be Added Now

Though the possibility of gaining additional state grant funding to add more solar power generation to district property has popped up unexpectedly, the Bethlehem Area School District won't pursue it for now, the school board decided Monday evening.

District engineer Arif Fazil, of D'Huy Engineering, told the school board additional grant funding had been made available by the state due to some granted projects not being implemented and the money being made available to successful ones. However, if the district wished to take advantage of the potential funding, it would need to move quickly as the deadline for applications is Oct. 31.

With the most ideal sites in the district already hosting solar panels, the remaining potential locations would either generate a much smaller energy output for the district or require site preparation paid for by the district.

Additionally, the district would not get the same rates for it's efforts, Fazil said, explaining the market rate for solar-generated electricity has recently dropped.

“All they're going to give you is 10 percent less than the open market,” he said.

Currently, the district pays a total about 11 cents per kilowatt hour, for both the power itself and its transmission, for electricity at most of its facilities, but it pays 9 and 10 cents at its facilities that have solar panels. Additionally, the bill is offset by what is generated on-site.

Of four potential sites, the roof of Freedom High School, which is already host to a solar array in the teachers' parking lot, is probably the most favorable, Fazil said.

“Freedom to me is a good choice because it uses a lot of energy,” he said, noting the potential annual savings to the district that could be gained with an additional array could be as much as $32,000.

But the high school's roof, though in good shape, at 15 years old can only be counted on for another five or so years before it is up for maintenance, and the solar project requires a 20 year commitment, Fazil added, saying to get the best out of the project without incurring future extra expenses, it would be best to tackle the task in advance, potentially a $700,000 proposition.

While it's clear the district is saving money with the solar generation additions, how much is currently unclear due to PPL's not yet being used to the system, Fazil said. The full savings will be tallied at year's end, the utility company has promised, he added.

Board members said they are supportive of the solar arrays and their benefits to the district, but the lack of clarity regarding the actual cost savings to date, coupled with the potential high costs of adding more combined with the much lower potential savings for the smaller sites, made them hesitant to go ahead, especially pressured by such a short deadline for application.

Board member Michael Faccinetto neatly summed up the feelings of the majority, saying, “I'd like to see more (solar panels installed), but I'm not sure it makes sense right now.”