Numerous buildings in the district are being considered as feasible sites for solar panels, with Algonquin set as a primary location for this new environmental and economic venture.

The current proposal was issued in April and called for bids from solar energy companies willing to meet the district’s need for panels while staying within the district’s budget. A feasibility study was conducted to explore potential locations for solar panels by examining roof structure, position related to the sun, cost effectiveness, and other variables that would decide the reasonability of solar panels at the proposed sites in the district.

“[The solar feasibility initiative] is a great collaboration between town and school to determine whether this opportunity provides energy efficiencies but also financial benefits,” Superintendent Christine Johnson said.

The bids are currently being processed and the next step is to choose a company that best fits the district’s requests.

“In the end, we’re hoping we can center around a successful bid that will allow us to capture the solar power to generate cost savings,” Johnson said.

Human Resource Administrator Rebecca Pellegrino has taken the lead on the solar initiative process from within the Superintendent’s office.

“With solar, there are so many different ways you can approach this project,” Pellegrino said. “We’re constantly getting calls from solar venders who can do better for us, or from other communities who have done things differently. I think this approach has been very open, and I think it’s the best way to go for the communities and for the school district as well.”

Graphic Carey Davis

In addition to potentially saving money for the district and promoting a greener earth, solar panels would provide an educational benefit to students to show the importance of solar energy.

“I think it’s a very important thing for students to appreciate that we recognize the importance of this for financial reasons but also for the future,” Johnson said. “It’s everyone’s future.”

The superintendent highlighted that educational aspects, such as weather stations or solar information centers, have been used in other school districts with solar panels to help teach students the value of panels.

Principal Tom Mead shared his opinion on the district’s efforts to go green.

“[Acquiring solar panels] would be a step forward I think,” Mead said. “I think it would be a responsible step forward in that regard because… it’s our moral responsibility as lead polluters of the planet to come up and be leaders in the movement away from fossil fuels, the movement towards clean energy.”

“I think eventually we’ll get there, we’ll get to the point where people will be able to say with confidence what they’re doing is not just the tail end of something, but the integral part… of using energy in a way that is respectful of our environment,” Mead said.