For the last few months members of the Warwick Public Schools administration have been working with Balanced Rock Energy as they explore the feasibility of leasing space on school property to a solar energy company to allow them to produce solar energy in exchange for cash.

The main tasks were to determine what the most viable locations would be for solar panels and to solicit and decide on what proposal would be best for the school department.

At the Sept. 14 School Committee meeting Daniel Joyce, the president of Balance Rock Energy presented their recommendation.

He said that the four locations they thought would be most viable after consulting with school department staff would be the Gorton Administration Building, the Buildings & Ground Facility, Toll Gate High School and Warwick Vets Middle School.

Joyce explained that after speaking with Assistant Superintendent William McCaffrey, they determined that it would be best to put the Toll Gate location on hold until it is determined if they will be building a new high school(s) or not.

The way it would work is the solar installations consisting primarily of carports with a smaller amount of land and roof mounted arrays, wouldn’t cost the school department.

Instead the solar company would lease the sites and write a check to the School Department based on the amount of megawatts produced.

Joyce said that the best proposal received came from  Ecogy Energy with an estimated annual lease payment of $124,000 based on 3.3 MW of solar installed, a letter from Joyce stated. The contract would be for 25 years. It would also include a $500 per year scholarship over the course of the contract.

“Ecogy Energy was clearly the best offer from an economic standpoint,” Joyce wrote in a letter to the School Committee. “In addition, they have significant experience in Rhode Island, they have demonstrated a strong understanding of the RI solar rules and have been helpful throughout the process.”

He explained that the estimated amount they would get from the lease was based on the project locations they picked but could vary depending on if they went with more or less projects.

Ecogy Energy was at the meeting in hopes the School Committee would sign a non-binding letter of intent.

The letter of intent enables Ecogy to move forward in the process. The first milestone is to gain utility approval by National Grid.

Brock Gibian, the director of development for Ecogy said that there is only a certain amount of electrons that can be imported into the grid each year which means that it is important for the school department to get their place in line.

By getting a place in line they would be able to keep it, study the project, and get feedback on it from the school district, Joyce explained.

However, if they weren’t in line they would run the risk of another larger project coming to the area meaning they potentially wouldn’t be able to have solar in their intended location.

One question asked by School Committee member David Testa was what happens if one of the canopies or other installations are damaged.  

Gibian explained that they have to meet the most up to date code when built.

“These things are very, very well built,”

He also noted that they would be on Ecogy’s insurance meaning if there was a claim they would handle it.

School Committee member Nathan Cornell asked where the Toll Gate location would be and was told that it would be at 833 Centerville Road, which has wooded areas.

He agreed with the other locations but didn’t like the idea of cutting trees for the solar installations.

“I don’t think we should cut any open space for solar,” he said.

The committee unanimously voted in favor of signing the non-binding letter of intent. They will now be reviewing the 25-year lease agreement before Ecogy comes back to the School Committee for a formal presentation at a future meeting.