Oswego School District 308 looks to save an estimated $61.6 million over 30 years by installing solar panels on seven schools.

“As we know, electricity costs have been going up significantly, not just here, but all over the country,” District 308 chief financial officer and chief school business official Raphael Obafemi told school board members during their May 11 school board meeting.

The district looked into the possibility of installing solar panels “as a way to mitigate that increase in electricity costs, especially with the installation of data centers in our area, which is driving up the cost of electricity,” he said.

The board has not made a decision yet on installing the panels. Board members are expected to continue to discuss the issue at future meetings.

As proposed, rooftop-mounted solar photovoltaic arrays would be installed on both Oswego and Oswego East high schools, along with five junior high schools: Bednarcik, Murphy, Plank, Thompson and Traughber.

“We’re not gong to offset demand completely,” Kurt Hintz, business development manager for Performance Services, said during the meeting. “We’re going to shift your peak demand day from the highest, most expensive day to a much less expensive day.”

Performance Services has done similar solar projects for several Illinois school districts, including Valley View Community Unit School District 365U in Romeoville and Glenbard Township High School District 87 in Glen Ellyn.

The company is proposing that the school district purchase the solar panels. Maintaining the panels is estimated to cost about $15,000 a year, Hintz said.

Board member Amy Murillo asked what would happen to the solar panels when a building’s roof needed repairs.

Repairing the roof in sections would be an option, Hintz said

“I will say, we have extended the life of many roofs, because now direct sunlight is not hitting the roof, it’s hitting the solar panels,” he said.

With the installation of the solar panels, the district is expected to receive $1.51 million in ComEd incentives/rebates along with $4.89 million in renewable energy credit revenue and a federal inflation reduction act incentive of $8.15 million.

Village path to solar

In February, Oswego village trustees voted to become a part of a community solar program the village said will save an estimated $40,000 annually in electric costs.

The Community Solar program allows the village to subscribe to a remote solar energy project instead of installing panels onsite.

At the Feb. 17 Oswego Village Board meeting, trustees unanimously passed a resolution approving solar agreements with Solstice Power Technologies, LLC.

Adam Hoover, director of strategic accounts at the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Cooperative, told village trustees Community Solar is a program that is guaranteed to provide 10% savings while still finding the fixed rate savings that NIMAC brings.

NIMEC serves as the broker and consultant for the village’s electrical aggregation program.

Community Solar in ComEd territory allows residential and business customers to subscribe to a remote solar energy project instead of installing panels onsite, Oswego finance director Andrea Lamberg told village trustees

“Participants receive monthly Community Solar aggregation credits on their ComEd electric bills based on their share of solar generation, which offsets the electricity supply portion of their bills,” she said.

Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman liked the fact that over the life of a 20-year contract, the village could save about $800,000.

“If electric prices rise, it could be even greater than that,” he said. “It’s a good deal all around.”