Solar Panels Considered as Energy Costs Surge at New Rogers High

The Newport School Depart­ment is paying about $65,000 a month on average in utility costs at the recently constructed Rogers High School, a significant factor in the district’s roughly $5 million es­timated deficit this year.

The rate means taxpayers will be on the hook for about $780,000 annually to provide heat and elec­tricity in the new school under the current energy rates. Some school committee members believe a “no-brainer” solution would be the installing solar panels to power the facility, which they say could save millions in the long run.

“If I was the city with $34 million in a reserve fund, and I’m getting a bill every month for $65,000, and tomorrow I could bring that number down significantly, and then even recoup some of the costs on top of that through en­ergy credits, how do I go wrong on that?” School Committee Member Bob Power said. “Maybe I’m sim­plifying it too much, but it seems worthy of looking into.”

According to Power, the panels could be installed on the roof of the school, in a green space next to the school or above cars in the parking lot. He said the district should pursue the cheapest op­tion. Through the Inflation Reduc­tion Act, public schools can receive federal reimbursements covering 30 to 50 percent or more of solar project costs.

While the school remains in the close-out phase of construction, the facility was substantially com­pleted last year and opened in September. Construction was orig­inally bonded at $98.5 million after an overwhelming endorsement from voters in 2020, but costs bal­looned closer to $130 million and pandemic-driven inflation chal­lenges forced reductions.

To meet state requirements for reimbursement on school building projects, a school building com­mittee was formed to oversee construction. It pursued a “green” facility, or one that does not rely on traditional burning of fossil fuels for energy.

The original intent for the new school was a combination of elec­tric heat and solar power, and the building was built with the capability of using solar power. However, when cost hurdles arose, installing solar panels was aban­doned to save money for more essential components.

The priority at the time was to complete the project and get the school open. School building com­mittee members were aware of the high costs of an all-electric system but believed the utility bill could be worked out later.

“There were many voices at the table who really questioned going electric only,” Supt. Colleen Burns Jermain said at a meeting last month.

School Committee Chair James Dring, who did not serve on the school building committee, said solar is worthy of looking into.

“If we can get the funding to put it in somewhere on site, it would make a lot of sense,” he told Newport This Week. “The School Building Committee was directed by the state to build a ‘green’ school and was not permitted to install natural gas, except in the kitchen. While the goal was sus­tainability, the result is significantly higher costs for taxpayers. The school committee and the city have to work together to mitigate this excessive cost.”

Power first presented the idea to the school committee as it worked through its then-projected budget shortfall in December. He said if it were up to him, he’d get started on the project “tomorrow.”

However, under state law, the school committee is only the cus­todian of the new school while the city maintains ownership. That means that any substantial modi­fication to the building, including introducing a new energy source, would have to be approved by the city.

The city council would likely have to approve solar in concept, as well as the purchase order for the panels and the contract to in­stall them.

According to city spokesperson Tom Shevlin, the city is working to install solar arrays at not only Rogers, but also at Pell Elementary School.

“The city has the resources to do it,” Power said. “Right now, the schools have a multimillion-dollar deficit. We’re cutting teachers and other people to try to balance the budget. We don’t have that kind of money sitting on the sidelines. The city has asked the schools what we can do to save money. Here’s an obvious thing.”

At a budget workshop with school officials last month, Coun­cilor Xay Khamsyvoravong seemed amenable to the idea and pro­posed pursuing an amortized loan through the Rhode Island Infra­structure Bank’s efficient buildings fund, which would come with min­imal interest. Power said the idea needs to be pursued now.

“The cost is right in the city’s face, and we can fix it,” Power said. “This cost is on the school depart­ment’s side of the budget, but it’s taxpayer money no matter how you put it. If we could stop the bleeding quicker, [then that would be ideal]. Every month, it’s $65,000 out the door.”