Schools
Solar Panel Plan for Darien Schools Moves Ahead
Town Board of Education approves conceptual plans for Darien High School and Ox Ridge Elementary School.
The Board of Education has unanimously approved administrators' plans to install solar panels on the roofs of Darien High School and Ox Ridge Elementary School.
The project, led by Darien Public Schools Director of Finance Richard Huot and Director of Facilities and Construction Paul Engemann, calls for the placement of photovoltaic cells on top of the front building at Ox Ridge and on the south side of the barrel-vaulted DHS gymnasium roof. The district would enter into a power purchase agreement for a period of 25 years with Power Point Energy, a Glastonbury-based company heading the project.
"Barring neighborhood concerns, this could move forward quickly," Huot told the board.
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Huot called it a turnkey project that could save the district up to $10,000 per year on energy costs. The school district would not pay for the construction or operation of the panels, as Power Point Energy would own and operate them.
Once in place, the panels' output would be metered and sold back to the district at a discount, reducing the amount of energy the district would have to purchase from its current providers. The low cost of transmission involved in a solar panel setup makes such arrangements attractive to firms like Power Point Energy, which recoup the cost of panels via markup.
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The Town of Darien Architectural Review Board approved the school district's plans on July 20. Based on the reception of the Architectural Review Board, Huot said he does not expect a long wait.
Board of Education members George Reilly, Elizabeth Hagerty-Ross, Kimberly Westcott, James Plutte, Susan Perticone, Amy Bell, Morgan Whittier, and Heather Shea voted to proceed with the project.
It isn't clear whether the school district requires approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Planning and Zoning Commission director Jeremy Ginsberg said on Friday that he and Assistant Director/Zoning Enforcement Officer David Keating are still reviewing whether P&Z review is needed.
"This is not a typical request, so we've got to figure out if a permit is needed," Ginsberg said. Specifically, Ginsberg will review zoning regulations to find out whether any section applies to the installation of solar panels or changing the sight lines of roofs.
Ginsberg said he expects to make a decision by Sept. 7.
