Gilman School District unveils new solar panels, saving $20,000 in annual energy costs

TAYLOR COUNTY, Wis. (WAOW) — A small town school district that has been working toward being energy efficient for the last two decades has unveiled their largest project yet.

Solar panels now sit in the grounds of Gilman School District (GSD), a project they have been eyeing up for three years. In a district of around 200 students, small energy projects have been conducted in the past, but there has been a gradual climb toward solar energy.

In a partnership with CESA 10, installation of the panels began in March 2025, and in three months, they began producing energy. 

“We had a short delay, and by the end of June we were able to get Xcel Energy in here and start producing energy,” said Walter Leipart, GSD Superintendent.  

The district used around $150,000 in long-range funds, which are strictly used for capital projects, and not general operations. They also took advantage of an energy tax exemption that became available to municipalities and school districts last year. When GSD first considered the solar array, payback was approximately 20 years.

“With rebates, incentives and generous donations, we were able to get this down to a 7.6 year return on our investment,” said Leipart. 

The panels are predicted to save the district approximately $20,000 in annual energy costs, and over $440,000 over the system’s 30-year life expectancy. According to GSD, the intent is to reduce energy costs, and supply more dollars back into the classrooms. Students will be able to get involved in tracking live data, as well as learning about energy through their STEM education and sustainability lessons. 

“This whole project is a testament to our school board, looking for ways to always be not only energy efficient but create that sustainable environment to maintain a school in a small community,” said Leipart. 

The district held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the panels last week. 

To raise even more awareness on the project, GSD will work with contractors to develop walking paths that will contain display boards that explain what the purpose of the project is. Inside the school they will have monitors that will display real-time data of the energy being saved.