Our Proposal for
University Park Elementary
School
We are forming
another LLC, University Park Elementary Solar LLC, in the hopes of winning the Prince George’s
County
School Board’s approval to
place a solar plant on the roof of our neighborhood school, University Park
Elementary. Membership is open to any Maryland Resident.
With approval in
principle, Prince George’s
County Schools and the University Park Elementary Solar LLC would negotiate a
solar power purchase agreement or a "SPPA.” This is a contract between an
electrical consumer, or host, in this case the School Board, and the owners of
the solar electric facility (UP Elementary Solar LLC) for the
purchase and sale of the facility’s electrical output. The electrical
facility is located on the host’s property and its output is sold to the
host at a specified price over the length of the contract (generally 15-20
years). The electricity is initially priced to be lower than the host’s
average cost of grid-source electricity with an adjustment made
annually to peg the cost of electricity at a price below the PEPCO rate
at that time. The LLC will sell the excess, if any, to PEPCO under the
existing Maryland “net metering”
law.
The LLC believes
that an educational component developed
simultaneously with the installation of the solar panels of equal
importance to the project and a great benefit to the students and
teachers of the Prince Georges Public School System. To that end the
LLC has identified a possible foundation funding source for a part time
position for a educational/media specialist and solar monitoring
equipment that could be used in a museum type kiosk as the school. The LLC
will be responsible for grant writing, hiring of the specialist, and
coordinating of information dissemination to children and teachers
throughout the school system. Members of the LLC (scientists from
the University of Maryland
and NASA) and science teachers at the
school and possibly from the larger school system would be brought
together by the specialist to prepare educational pieces on solar power,
renewable energy, and climate.
Some of the
questions that have been raised regarding the use of the
school's roof include these with corresponding answers:
What design or
engineering must take place to ensure that the
roof(s) can handle the additional weight of the solar panels?
The panels are
not terribly heavy in themselves but they will be
ballasted (less than 5 lbs/sf) to eliminate roof penetrations and future
water leaking issues. The condition of the roof, roof design, and load
carrying capacity have all been evaluated and found to meet all roof load
carrying capacities. The structural designs will be stamped by a
State of Maryland registered
professional engineer.
Who will be doing
the engineering work?
Standard Solar,
our contractor, had its engineering staff work with the
school's facilities staff to evaluate the roof, and a design for an
appropriate system is included in this proposal. Standard Solar has
designed and installed more than eight hundred residential and
commercial solar systems in the Metro DC area totaling over 7 MW
including the recent roof installation on top of the US Department of
Energy
Building
in Washington DC. Its engineering staff is NABCEP
certified and fully bonded.
How will the
panels be mounted on the roof and could this
cause roof leaks?
The panels will
be held down by weighted (ballasted) racks that will sit
on the roof but will not be attached to it. Only the electrical line
carrying electricity to the school building will penetrate the roof and
this line will be properly flashed to keep rain and other elements at
bay.
How will the
panels be placed on the roof?
A crane will be
used to move the panels and mounting racks from the
ground to the roof site. This will be a one-time event. All future roof
repairs can be accomplished by moving panels rather than taking them
off the building by crane.
How will the roof
be maintained and repaired once the panels
are in place?
Usually, the way
the roof space will be designed will be to orient the
panels to maximize solar gain and to leave enough space so the panels
can be moved about to allow future repair and maintenance work to
occur without removing the panels from the roof. Standard Solar will
work with the Facilities Division to maintain the warranty.
Who will be
responsible for the maintenance of the roof?
Any regular
maintenance required as the result of ordinary roof wear
will be the responsibility of the host. If a repair is necessitated
because of a problem caused by the solar equipment, the University
Park Elementary Solar LLC will assume the responsibility. Standard
Solar warrants its installations against leakage for five years.
Who will be
responsible for the additional cost associated with
roof repair or replacement that will result from working around
or moving panels to do the roof maintenance work?
The additional
costs to work around the panels will be negotiated with
the University Park Elementary Solar LLC.
Who will be
responsible for the maintenance of the solar panels?
The University Park Solar Elementary Solar LLC.
Experience has
demonstrated that roof mounted panels require very little maintenance,
however. In all probability, an O&M contract will be signed with
Standard Solar to do the semi-yearly inspections.
Who will be
responsible for any damage caused by the panels
in the case a severe weather event or other?
The University
Park Elementary Solar LLC will be fully insured to pay
for any damages to the roof, adjacent buildings, or other property on
the host site caused by the solar equipment, or injuries to persons.
What happens if
there is a PEPCO power outage?
Safety policy
requires that the solar plant cease operation during a
power outage.
What if the solar
power generated is not enough for the
school’s needs?
The school will
remain hooked up to the grid and receive electricity
from PEPCO. A meter on site will have the capability of net metering.
Included as part of this proposal are the following documents:
A pro forma financial analysis detailing how the LLC will operate and
the costs and revenues over a twenty year period.
A power purchase agreement (PPA) that will be the contract document
governing the long-term relationship between the School System and
the LLC.
How will UPES LLC
keep the price of electricity below the host’s
average cost of grid-source electricity?
UPES-owned solar
panels will generate distributed energy primarily for
the school at the school. Consequently, we will not need to charge the
very costly PEPCO distribution fee in our rate to the school.
All of
PEPCO’s of customers – residential, commercial, and industrial – pay
the added distribution rate which can range from 4 to 5 cents more
than the supply rate.
