District hopes to partner with community investors on solar power for high school

Published 12:59 pm Monday, November 24, 2014

At its meeting on Nov. 13, the Mercer Island School District (MISD) board of directors discussed the progress on a potential community solar project.

The idea to put solar panels on the south-facing roof of the Mercer Island High School gym was brought up at joint meeting between the City Council and MISD Board on Oct. 16.

Community solar projects provide incentives for private investors. There have similar ventures in nearby cities. In Seattle City Light’s project, customers enroll by paying upfront to purchase energy from a portion of the city-owned solar modules.

Customers will receive an annual credit through 2020 for the amount of electricity generated by their portion of the array.

City communications and sustainability manager Ross Freeman said that either City Hall or the high school would be an ideal location, as they can fit 75 kilowatts of production power.

“The city’s current array is 4.4 kilowatts, so this would be a lot bigger,” Freeman said. “Until  2020, all power produced by a community solar project earns $1.08 per kilowatt hour from the state, which is how it pays people back.”

Investors need to be found soon for the project to progress and provide a payback, as state solar incentives end in 2020.

If investors have been secured and funds are available, work can begin on the roofing and panel installation. The district is looking at an April 1- June 30 window of work to be completed should a decision be made to proceed, according to the school board meeting agenda.

“At this point in the project, we are cautiously optimistic and proceeding to define the cost and construction details,” the agenda states.

A preliminary examination regarding logistics and system capacity for the project was favorable, said superintendent Dr. Gary Plano.

“In other words, there initially didn’t seem to be any critical flaws in the ideas explored. However the board has asked me to provide them with more details regarding the project,” Dr. Plano said.

There are three planning milestones for the solar project at the high school: first to determine if the project was feasible from a legal and structural perspective, and second to determine the cost of the project to the district. The third step will be to make a go/no-go decision on the project, which will be made by March 1, 2015.

The agreement with investors will include the rental cost of the roof space, the end date of the agreement, and long-term ownership of the panels and Puget Sound Energy’s reimbursement for power generated.

Dr. Plano plans to share the financial implications, including the return on investment, with the board once financial information is available, tentatively set for Dec. 11.

For more information on the construction and upcoming School Board  meetings, visit www.mercerislandschools.org