Board takes first look at use of solar energy
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO — Alternative energy projects could soon be looked at by the Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education. Ed Liberty of the Dome-Tech Group, Edison, provided board members with an overview of solar energy options at their Oct. 14 workshop meeting.

District administrators are considering whether they should research the cost of adding solar panels to the roofs of the Marlboro Middle School, Route 520, and the Marlboro Memorial Middle School, Nolan Road. No significant price estimates can be given until the first step in the process, having a feasibility study conducted, is performed.

Liberty explained that there are two options when considering the installation of a solar system.

The district could purchase the total system, which would allow the sale of solar renewable energy credits, a commodity based on the amount of energy generated by the system. Liberty said New Jersey law states that for every kilowatt of energy sold in the state at the retail price, a certain percentage must come from a solar project from around the state.

One credit is one-megawatt hour, or 1,000 kilowatts, Liberty said. He described how currently purchasing from a retail energy source the district may pay near 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. The price the district would receive for selling one credit would be about 40 to 45 cents per kilowatthour, Liberty estimated.

The other option would be a power purchase agreement (PPA) in which an investor would pay for the system and sell the energy to the school district. Liberty estimated that under this type of agreement the school district could be paying 80 to 90 percent of the retail price of energy.

If the board allows Dome-Tech to move forward with the first screen study, a list of the financials for both options would be supplied, providing board members with the information necessary to determine whether or not this type of project is possible.

One advantage of having a solar energy system at the schools would be the possible incorporation of alternate energy studies into the curriculum. Liberty said the system's meter could be viewed on the Internet by students in order to monitor the amount of energy produced in this fashion. The solar panels are expected to have a useful life of 25 years.

Liberty said items such as the number of solar panels which would fit in the area designated, as well as the age and condition of the roof would be looked at during the first study. Other items that would have to be considered are the amount of sunlight that hits the area and whether any machinery would block the light from hitting the solar panels.

Board member Joseph Waldman asked why administrators are not checking the feasibility of solar energy at all eight of Marlboro's schools.

Business Administrator Cindy Barr- Rague said the two middle schools were chosen because both have the largest roof area and should be able to withstand the weight of the solar panels. Barr-Rague also said the middle schools were considered since students in the science classes could make use of the solar energy system in their studies.

It was determined that the board would focus strictly on the middle schools for the time being, considering other schools after viewing the financial information.

Board President Cynthia Green asked how successful solar options are in the northeast region of the United States compared to the southern region.

Liberty acknowledged that southern areas such as Florida that have more sun are optimal locales for solar energy, but he said governmental projects in the northeast are enabling solar energy projects to flourish.

Green also asked if the board should be entering into an agreement with Dome-Tech before hearing from its structural engineer as to whether the middle schools' roofs would be able to sustain the weight of the solar panels.

Board members agreed that they wanted the information from the engineer before hiring Dome-Tech to do anything.

If the engineer states that the roofs at both middle schools could support such a system, Dome-Tech would be hired as a consultant to perform the feasibility study.

Contact Rebecca Morton at

marlboro@gmnews.com