Somerset Berkley Regional high school

Somerset Berkley Regional High School has approximately 990 students with the majority of students from the member towns of Somerset and Berkley, MA. In 2010, the District entered into an agreement with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to build an $80 million dollar new regional high school. The school opened in September 2014.

Challenge

The District is continually looking for ways to reduce operating costs in order to shift more resources to students, utility costs are an expense that is constantly fluctuating. The original building plans for the high school included solar panels, and the new school was built with the necessary structural capacity and electrical service to support a large array on the roof. However, the District could not move forward during construction with purchasing and installing its own solar panels due to fiscal constraints.

Solution

Committed to pursuing solar, the District continued to explore alternative financing options, and ultimately selected PowerOption’s solar program. Under the program, Solect installs, owns, and operates the solar arrays on the school’s roof, and sells the power generated at a fixed rate for a period of 20 years under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) negotiated by PowerOptions.

Results

$19,000 yearly savings on electricity costs

The solar array is expected to cover up to 20 percent of the school’s annual electricity use, and to save the school approximately $19,000 annually on its energy expenses.