Norwalk committee backs rooftop solar on new high school and South Norwalk elementary, drops carport plan

The Land Use and Building Management Committee of Norwalk City voted to proceed with rooftop photovoltaic (PV) installations for Norwalk High School and South Norwalk Elementary and to begin the bidding and contract-change process required to add the systems to the state-approved construction budgets.

Alan Lowe, head of the Office of Building Management, told the committee the city pursued multiple approaches over two years — private-sector power-purchase agreements, a joint arrangement with the municipal utility (SNEW) and a city-built rooftop system — and found only the rooftop option is financially viable under current utility and incentive structures. "We explored a ground-mounted and carport approach with the utility, but their wholesale rate and limits on third-party generation made a joint venture unsustainable," Lowe said.

Why it matters: Lowe said the rooftop installations are now eligible for state reimbursement as part of the construction budgets — the state agreed the rooftop PV can be treated under the existing project approvals, making the project eligible for roughly a 60% reimbursement (Norwalk High has a separate 80% designation). The committee approved design work and a change-order path through the construction manager so the city can bid installation work this spring.

Key details: Lowe presented modelled generation and cost figures for the proposed rooftop systems. For Norwalk High he cited a projected rooftop output of about 1,400,000 kilowatt-hours per year and estimated the rooftop-only system could serve roughly 40% of that building’s electricity demand; for South Norwalk Elementary he cited a generation estimate in the low hundreds of thousands of kilowatt-hours per year (the design memo included more precise modeling). He said earlier proposals estimated construction cost ranges for larger options of roughly $5.85 million to $9.95 million depending on scope, and the committee approved a design-contingency increase to Tekton Architects’ contract of $56,147.72 to complete the specification work needed to bid the rooftop installs.

Counterpart and constraints: Lowe said a carport (canopy) or ground-mounted approach would have required SNEW or a private developer to accept long-term financial losses or for the city to assume significant operating cost risk. "The municipal utility’s low wholesale pricing and territory restrictions on third-party generation made the carport option infeasible," he said, adding that SNEW indicated a capped loss of roughly $25,000 per year on a joint scheme that would still expose the city to any cost beyond that cap.

Next steps: Lowe said the engineering specifications will go to bid through the construction manager within roughly two weeks, with bid returns expected several weeks later; any contract or change-order that affects the guaranteed maximum price will return to the common council for approval as required. The committee voted to approve the rooftop approach and to submit contract-related items to the common council when bids or change orders are needed.

Quote: "We are prepared to go out to bid and come back to the committee with numbers so the council can approve the change order," Lowe said.

Ending: The committee’s vote advances rooftop solar work into the procurement stage, with installation targeted for summer or fall 2026 depending on manufacturing and delivery timelines. The full common council will review any contract amendments that affect the construction manager’s guaranteed maximum price.