BIG NEWS: MARTIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS PLANS TO GO SOLAR WITH ROOFTOP ARRAY
Originally published by Allegan News and Gazette
September 22, 2016 - 14:16
By: Ryan Lewis, Editor
In the next two years, Martin Public Schools has plans to be 99-percent powered by solar energy.
There are many steps between that and now, but school board members unanimously voted Monday, Sept. 19, to negotiate a contract with Superior Renewable Solutions to do just that.
Superintendent David Harnish said even if electric rates somehow stayed flat over the proposed 20-year contract, using a 600 kilowatt-hour solar array made good environmental sense.
“We’re not the only school in the United States to do it, but we’d be the first school in the state of Michigan to accomplish this,” he said. “And that’s 600 kilowatts that aren’t being used from coal, oil or natural gas or any other source, and we’re environmentally responsible; that would be a good thing.
“If energy costs go up and there’s a savings for our district, then that’s good for our kids and good for our taxpayers.”
Given Consumers Energy’s own estimate of 4-percent annual increases in price, savings seem likely. Rough estimates of savings over 20 years total $2.3 million.
Contract
As part of this deal, the district would sign an energy service agreement, locking in a fixed annual price the district would pay Superior Renewable Solutions over 20 years. Harnish said that is expected to be lower than the current price it pays Consumers Energy; the district’s bills fluctuate between $6,500 and $8,500 per month.
In exchange, the company would finance the construction, operation and maintenance of the solar panel system over the life of that contract.
Company president Christopher Yurko said the district would end up paying only its contract price no matter how the panels performed. If the district ended up drawing significantly from the power grid, Superior Renewable Solutions would “true-up,” or pay the balance of the district’s electric bill at the end of the year.
Yurko, however, believes the proposed 38,000-square-foot array will generate enough power to meet the district’s needs. Through “net metering,” when the panels made more energy than the district needed, that power would be added to the grid and earn the district credit with Consumers Energy. Those credits and drawing on the panels directly, the company estimates, should account for 99 percent of the district’s electric use, as measured by 12-month averages.
The panels will be installed on the district’s roof. They are lightweight and should not impose a burden to the structure. They will be weighed down and not bolted to the roof, so they should not impact any of the district’s roof replacement plans through the bond project.
Yurko said the company will provide the maintenance and handle snow removal, if necessary. They are also built to withstand a half-inch ball bearing hitting them at 60 miles per hour to guard against weather such as hail.
He said the arrangement essentially means Superior Renewable Solutions finances the project, taking advantage of tax credits to build the approximately $1.5 million system.
At the end of the 20-year contract, the district’s payments will end, and it will own the array. The panels will be under warranty for 25 years. While the district will then likely have to pay for some sort of maintenance contract, that will cost far less than what it was paying in the original contract.
Local connection
The district found out about this project from board treasurer Vince Tuinstra. The company will be building a slightly smaller system for his greenhouse company this fall under the same arrangement.
He said he couldn’t afford to pay for the $800,000 in construction up front; when the company proposed the energy service agreement, he said it was a “no-brainer.”
And it was proposed to him by 2004 Martin High School graduate Zack Henderson, who is regional vice president for Superior Renewable Solutions.
Tuinstra said it wasn’t long before he asked Henderson, “How can we do this for the school?”
“It pays for itself and, after 20 years, it’s ours,” Tuinstra said.
Henderson said he is most looking forward to connecting the installation and operation of the system with classroom instruction.
“What I’m hoping is this opportunity can expedite prosperity for other students by giving them some experience in renewable energy,” he said, noting he spent 12 years finding his way to this position. “Along with that comes some great savings for the district with nothing spent.”
Those savings may be significant; Henderson pointed out that several coal power plants are expected to close in the coming decades due to federal regulations. He said 4-percent increases would be conservative.
“This could increase costs as much as 12 percent (though) there are a lot of varied opinions on this,” he said, with the coal plants offline and demand remaining the same.
Yurko said a district in northwest Indiana about a year ago constructed a lab.
“When it was constructed, we had students come out to watch construction,” he said. “One of the arrays was hooked up to a lab, so they were able to do some testing and some science.”
Henderson said, “I’m very happy to bring this to Martin; I’m very happy to bring this home.”
He said the company has done this for other school districts, mainly in Indiana and Ohio. It is currently building one in central Indiana that is 10 times the size of Martin’s.
Next steps
Harnish said the district could expect to spend the next three months hammering out the contract with Superior Renewable Solutions, which is based in Michigan.
The school board authorized paying them $5,000 for soft costs to develop the project; Henderson said that would be deducted from what the district would ultimately pay in the contract.
Construction would not begin until next year at the earliest.
Harnish said he met with Henderson three times to address his own concerns before even approaching the board.
“I had to feel it out,” he said. In some respects, the school could go through the same process of applying for all the tax credits and build the system itself, but it doesn’t have the experience or expertise of the company. “It was worth it in the bigger picture to partner with them.
“And if nothing else, going green, reducing the environmental footprint of Martin Public Schools, is kind of neat. It’s great for the community and school.”
Board president Tom McLaughlin said he never would have thought such an opportunity would be possible for the district.
He said, “When Dr. Harnish discussed it, I was trying to find the downside. So I think it was important that the whole board discuss it tonight—and, as you can see, it was a unanimous decision.”
