Tolland superintendent says solar bill-credit deal nearly complete; district should save about $100,000 a year

Superintendent Walt Willett told the board on Jan. 14 that a bill-credit solar agreement is near completion and that the districts plan is to use a mix of rooftop and cantilever installs (parking-lot canopies) to avoid placing equipment on roofs that will soon need replacement. Willett said the district will not pay installation or maintenance costs; the contractor will own the equipment and is contractually responsible for upkeep.

Willett said the structure of the agreement is straightforward crediting on the districts electric bill rather than net-metering complexity; the projected budget offset is roughly $100,000 per year. He said the vendor retains responsibility for equipment warranties and insurance, including inverters (noting inverter warranties quoted at 10 years while the contract span is 20 years), and he described coordination with the town manager to finalize signatures and the BOE-town contract.

Board members asked about the phasing of installations across school buildings, roof-age assessment, insurance implications for district property and the implications of maintenance or temporary downtimes for returns; Willett said the vendor had performed site inspections and provided photos and that the contract includes provisions for operations and maintenance.

Next steps: the superintendent expects state review (NRES) and town sign-off in the coming weeks and said project deployment planning should begin by April if approvals proceed on schedule.