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Schools

Solar Panel Installation Nearly Complete at Toms River Schools

The panels are expected to save the district $12.15 million on energy costs over the next 15 years

Installation of solar panels atop 11 Toms River Regional schools and two other Board of Education-owned buildings is nearing completion, Superintendent of Schools Frank Roselli said last week.

When completed, the second phase of the solar panel project will save the school district $12.15 million over the next 15 years. The immediate benefit to the district was the repair of roofs on the 11 schools, which needed to be redone to allow the panels to be installed, officials said.

The first phase of the solar panel project was completed in 2004 as part of the Smart Schools Initiative. Seven district buildings received solar panels during the initial phase and the district has saved approximately $2.23 million by selling its renewable energy credits. Those credits are awarded based on the amount of energy the panels produce and return to the power grid. When this phase is completed, the district will have a 6.2 megawatt system.

District Business Administrator William Doering estimated the cost of a typical school roofing project at between $500,000 and $1 million. Doering said that without the solar panel project, it would have taken this district “five to six years’’ to complete roof work at the 11 schools. Doering estimated the district saved $5 million by having the roof work done as part of the solar project.

“The roof work came at no cost to the taxpayers,’’ Doering said.

Roselli said most of the work will be completed by Dec. 31. Any remaining work at the 13 sites will be completed by the end of January. Roselli noted the work has been on-going while classes were in session and no disruptions to students were reported.

“This is the quintessential win-win situation,’’ Roselli said. “The project benefits the environment, the taxpayers and the students. The monies we saved on roofing projects will be redirected to actual areas of the budget that will benefit our students.’’

Under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the district also will save significantly on its electric bill. The district also will have reduced roof maintenance costs over the next 15 years as a result of the project.

Between 2010 and 2011, the district spent $3.9 million on electricity.

Doering said 40 percent of the district’s total electricity costs will be purchased at a rate “well below market cost.’’

“While our usage will fluctuate from year to year, 40 percent of the energy purchase will be at fixed rate,’’ Doering said. “The usage may vary, but the savings will be constant.’’

Roselli credited the Board of Education for getting ahead of the solar energy craze.

“By being proactive, this has become an alternate source of revenue for the district,’’ Roselli said. “When we started this effort in 2004, we were only one of two districts in the state to try it. People now realize a project like this is no longer a risk.’’

During the first phase of the project, high schools North and East, Intermediate North and South, Beachwood, Joseph A. Citta, Hooper Avenue and South Toms River elementary schools received solar panels. Those panels produce an estimated 2,515 kilowatt hours.

During the second phase, Intermediate East, Cedar Grove, Silver Bay, Pine Beach, Walnut Street, West Dover, East Dover, North Dover and Washington Street elementary schools and High School South received solar panels. Also the district headquarters at 1144 Hooper Ave. and the transportation center will get panels. The new panels are expected to produce 3,706 kilowatt hours.

Mercury Solar Systems, Inc. is installing the solar panels at the district buildings.
Roselli said the solar panel project and the associated revenue will help stabilize the tax rate in Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River “for years to come.’’

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