Durango School District 9-R is attempting to cut energy costs and decrease its carbon footprint by adding solar panels at multiple district campuses.
On Monday, district officials gathered at Escalante Middle School to celebrate the installation of rooftop and carport solar panels at six sites: Durango High School, Park Elementary, the Impact Career Innovation Center, Animas Valley Elementary, Escalante Middle School and Miller Middle School.
The district inked a 20-year agreement with energy services company Veregy, LLC, securing a $7.2 million loan to fund the project. Chief Operations Officer Chris Coleman said the initiative is budget neutral, with savings from solar energy, enhanced insulation and districtwide LED lighting upgrades covering the costs.
“This was all done within our operating budget,” he said. “Obviously, we took out a loan to get it going, but the savings over the 20-year period will pay off the loan and then some.”
The solar panels are expected to deliver savings of about $8 million over the next two decades, Coleman said. Generating about 1.03 megawatts of power, the panels will supply enough energy to meet the needs of about 1,000 homes.
“Buildings account for over 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.,” said Veregy Account Executive Ashlee Kruger. “It’s our goal to reduce that and help school districts save money by upgrading infrastructure.”
The solar panels have an expected life span of 40 years and are insured against damage, Coleman said.
Under terms of the agreement, Veregy has also replaced more than 20,000 bulbs at district buildings with energy-efficient LEDs, including at Durango High School’s football stadium. Miller Middle School was the only school that did not receive new LED lights.
The solar panels and related upgrades are anticipated to offset 58% of the district's energy costs, Krueger said.
The district is also leveraging close to $2.5 million in lighting rebates and federal solar incentives to help pay for the project.
The shift to solar energy provided the district with a twofold benefit: reducing energy costs and meeting the requirements of Colorado’s Energy Performance for Buildings Act, adopted in 2021. The legislation mandates that public buildings over 50,000 square feet cut energy consumption by 7% by 2026 and by 20% by 2030.
Colorado’s Clean Energy Plans bill is also a factor as it seeks to achieve at least a 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions created by public entities by 2027.
The district said the solar panels and lighting savings are expected to reduce the district’s carbon emissions by 1,836 metric tons annually, which is equivalent to taking 409 gasoline-powered cars off the road each year.
One of the reasons the district went with Veregy is because of the company’s ability to offer net metering, which means surplus energy created by the solar panels is sold back to the grid at a retail rate. Coleman told The Durango Herald in February that net metering would lead to increased savings.
Improving buildings with new insulation was also a crucial part of the district’s cost-saving and energy initiative.
Insulation improvements can potentially save up to 20% to 30% on energy consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Durango School District leaders have been vocal about their environmental stability efforts. They have developed Green Team clubs on all of its campuses, and implemented DHS’ climate literacy endorsement.
“Not only are we doing this and practicing what we preach in the manner of installing these big arrays, but also that we have sustainability baked into our curriculum right now,” Coleman said.
The district will implement ways for students to learn more about solar energy while earning a certificate in climate literacy, he said.
Earlier this year, a group of DHS students played a key role in advocating for a bill that would establish a Seal of Climate Literacy Diploma Endorsement. This endorsement serves as an additional designation, highlighting a student’s achievement beyond the standard district curriculum.
Coleman said it was important for the district to follow through with its own sustainability initiatives because DHS was the first to offer the climate literacy designation.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
