The Hollister School District is considering an agreement with a
solar company that could save taxpayers millions of dollars in
electrical costs while creating local jobs, according to school
officials. The arrangement could provide more than $11 million in
savings in electrical costs for the schools over 30 years,
ClearSpot Project Manager Gary Banta said.
The Hollister School District is considering an agreement with a solar company that could save taxpayers millions of dollars in electrical costs while creating local jobs, according to school officials.
Under the proposal, Atherton-based ClearSpot Energy would finance the placement of solar panels over school parking lots and covered eating areas, and then sell the energy to the district at a discounted rate.
The arrangement could provide more than $11 million in savings in electrical costs for the schools over 30 years, ClearSpot Project Manager Gary Banta said. In addition, the projected environmental benefits of the solar panels are equivalent to saving about 1.7 million gallons of gasoline every year, he said.
The Hollister City Council approved a similar agreement with ClearSpot in January. The company has agreed to build a 1.2-megawatt solar plant next to the wastewater treatment plant at 2690 Old San Juan Highway, saving Hollister up to $10.6 million over 30 years, according to ClearSpot’s estimates.
Overall, the school and city projects are part of a bigger picture, Banta said, adding that the company is in talks with “every major public entity” in the area.
“We think that Hollister and San Benito are ideal in every respect for solar energy,” he said.
Not only does the county have good sites for solar panels, he said, but “the jobs created with a relatively small base here can have a meaningful effect.”
Neither the school district nor the city has a requirement to conduct an open bidding process on the projects, their officials contend.
District Superintendent Ron Crates said ClearSpot first brought the idea to his attention about nine months ago. The company presented the proposal to the school board in November, but Crates said it will be two or three months before a contract is brought before the board while he works with architects and lawyers and finalizes a financial analysis of the project.
However, he added, he is optimistic about the project’s potential.
“This type of project not only would be beneficial to the district by saving money, but also could give a big economic boost for the whole county,” Crates said, referring to its job creation.
Board member Ronald Hatchett agreed and added that the board responded positively to ClearSpot’s proposal.
“Anything that will save us money and keep us from having to make cuts that will affect a classroom, we’re all for it,” he said. “It was a win-win situation to us because it was going to be done at no cost to the school district.
“They maintain the panels, and we end up buying the electricity from them at a very reduced rate.”
The project also would provide covered eating areas for the schools that don’t already have them, adding to the project’s benefits, Hatchett said.
Aside from its touted gains to the elementary and middle schools, ClearSpot wants to incorporate the local community college, too.
According to Banta, ClearSpot is partnering with Gavilan College to train solar energy workers who could fill the estimated 100 jobs the project would create. The partnership is part of a larger education program the company launched that “will span all the way from kindergarten up to college level,” he said.
If the board approves the contract, Banta said ClearSpot could put the solar panels in place over the summer, so that classes wouldn’t be disrupted by the construction.
See the Free Lance on Tuesday for more on this topic.
