Board of Education Still Considering Whether to Allow County to Install Solar Panels at Schools

The Board of Education on Monday continues to hold off on a decision about whether to go along with Somerset County's proposed project to install solar panels at 35 school and municipal sites throughout Somerset County, including three Bernards Township schools.

Two representatives from the county told the school board and public that the school district could stand to save a total of $2.85-million, or possibly more, over a 15-year period by allowing private investors to install solar panels at the William Annin Middle School, Ridge High School and Mt. Prospect School.

The plan, as tentatively outlined, would call for the solar panels to be installed by next November on a parking canopy that would be construction at the middle school, a field by Mt. Prospect School and the roof at Ridge High School.

As part of the agreement, for which the county already has received approval to seek funding for the $52-million project, the county would take on the debt, said attorney Stephen B. Pearlman from Parsippany.

Daniel Swayze, a engineer and consultant involved with the project, said the estimate of savings for the school district is based on the assumption that the school system's cost would drop from about 15 cents to 9 cents per kilowatt. But he said the cost actually is down to about 5 cents right now at other projects.

The professionals said that a project in Morris County already was completed, before Somerset County began its first phase of a similar project, now moving along. An example of solar panels on a parking canopy already can be seen at Mennen Arena in Morris Township, Pearlman said. The canopies over the parking areas at Mennen are 10-feet in height, he said.

Pearlman said asked the school board to decide before May 7 — when bids from solar installers will be due to the county — whether the district would participate in any or all of the proposed solar installations. The county would be willing to work with the Board of Education to modify the tentatively solar locations, he said.

Board member Susan McGowan said she would like to get input from neighborhoods of the schools where the panels would be installed, particularly at Mt. Prospect and William Annin, before the board makes a decision.

Board member Michael Byrne said the projected savings for the district — which he broke down to about $180,000 per year for 15 years — would be "nothing at all."

"I know somebody is going to make a lot of money, but the school district is not at $180,000 per year," Byrne said.

School officials also expressed concern about a provision that the school district could have to make up lost costs to the solar panel operators if the panels must be temporarily removed to allow roof repairs. 

Board member Ken Wilke, who said he believed the kilowatt cost would likely drop lower than nine cents, and the district would save more than Monday night's projected estimates. He said he does not believe the project would be unworkable. 

Last month, school officials heard a different proposal from its architect that other deals are being structured between school districts and solar installers in which school roofs were upgraded or replaced in return for allowing vendors to install panels on those roofs.

The need to pay for roof repairs is one of the possible one-time costs being discussed as the

Board members said they would discuss the options at the end of this month.

Both the Board of Education and Township Committee last month gave tentative approval to keeping the proposed projects within Bernards Township on the county's list of proposed sites for solar installations.

However, Township Committeeman John Carpenter objected at that time because he said the county had left too many unanswered questions about the plan.

The county's list for other potential solar sites in Bernards includes installations on the municipality's public works and engineering services building, the municipal building and police complex, the township health department, at Pleasant Valley Pool and at Mountain Park.

The township also continues to consider the proposal, Township Committeewoman Carolyn Gaziano said at Monday's school board meeting. 

Somerset County Administrator Michael Amoroso later said that he and other county officials are welcome to call his office with any questions.

Amoroso also said that school districts that structure deals in which they receive new roofs in exchange for allowing solar panels to be installed upon those roofs are, in the long run, receiving lower savings per kilowatt than under the county's proposal. 

The Bernardsville Library and all three schools in Bernardsville that make up the Somerset Hills School district also are on the list.