H-BC to participate in 'Solar On Schools'

Hills-Beaver Creek School District will receive two solar arrays for its elementary and high school buildings under Minnesota’s “Solar On Schools” program.
H-BC received preliminary approval from the Minnesota Department of Commerce in January for a $66,000 grant toward the project.
School board members approved the solar energy project at their March 28 meeting.
“We are not breaking the bank for energy savings,” Superintendent Todd Holthaus said.
“We are looking at the education component for students to learn about green energy and its impact on the environment.”
H-BC will submit a full application to the Department of Commerce.
If accepted, the solar arrays (up to 40 kilowatts each) will be placed on the rooftops later this year.
There is no out-of-pocket expense to the district.
H-BC will work with iDEAL Energies in Minneapolis. IDEAL will design, install, finance and operate the solar arrays for the next 20 years.
H-BC will own the solar arrays and will purchase the electricity generated from iDEAL under the 20-year agreement. After 20 years, the district receives the electricity free.
Life expectancy of the arrays is 40 years.
The arrays will be placed on the roofs of the elementary and high school buildings.
The arrays are not anchored into the roofs and are engineered to withstand the wind as they stay in place on the roof.
Annual energy savings to the district ranges from $6,900 in Year 1 to $11,000 by Year 20.
Holthaus said he budgets $75,000 a year for utilities within the district.
The high school averages $6,000 to $8,500 a month in utility costs with the elementary at $1,300 to $2,000 a month, depending on the time of the year.
The Solar On Schools grant program began in 2021 as part of the Commerce and Energy Omnibus Bill.
Under the program the solar installation must be part of the school’s educational curriculum.
Production information from the arrays must be available by monitoring equipment in the schools.
Added to the school’s curriculum are learning opportunities that invigorate student interest in solar and demonstrate to parents and the community the power of solar energy.
In other business, the H-BC school board also accepted the resignations of Caitlin Slaba, middle school English teacher, and Tyler Johnson, K-12 art teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year.