Redwood City School District installing solar canopies at 9 more schools

By CBS Bay Area

The Redwood City School District turned to renewable energy as a way to save money during a budget deficit, and it is now entering Phase 2 of its project.

Brandon Matthews is a parent in the Redwood City School District. He and his daughter, Jessamyn, are spending time in her school’s garden. 

“Classes come out, and they can plant things in the garden or harvest and eat things from the garden,” Matthews told CBS News Bay Area. 

But funding for programs like these could be in jeopardy, as the school district is facing a $5.25 million budget shortfall for the next academic year.

As one solution to cutting costs, the district installed solar canopies at four campuses in Phase One. Currently, the district is going through Phase Two of the project, where crews are building canopies at nine more schools. 

The entire project cost the district about $13.33 million. District leaders said they’re also receiving a $3.75 million reimbursement from the Investment Tax Credit allocated for the project. They expect to save more than $30 million total over the next 25 years. 

“It frees up that money to do things like pay teachers and higher educational assistance. It shows that the district is responsible with the money they’ve got and can use that savings to defray other costs as they come,” Matthews said. 

David Williard, the principal for NV5 Clean Energy Group, is the energy consultant for the school district. 

“Having canopies on the school site provides shade and also power for the school. Clean energy, it’s generated on-site,” he told CBS News Bay Area. “(For Phase Two) we are projecting approximately $26 million in savings for the district over 25 years. That’s the estimated life for the system.”

“In the first five years, we’ve already saved $875,000,” he added. 

He said that each campus will use 80% to 90% of the energy generated through these canopies, which are also installed in parking lots. 

“They are able to use their bond funding to pay for these facility upgrades. And that actually reduces their costs for their General Fund,” Williard said. 

“Doing the right thing for the environment and saving money for public schools and the community,” he added. 

Williard said that the planning and permitting process takes about two and a half years, followed by about six months for canopy construction. 

“Constructed over a parking lot, and it provides shade for the cars that are parking here, for staff parking,” he said. 

As for Matthews, who sends his daughter to a Spanish immersion school, he hopes to see the positive impact both environmentally and financially. 

“Every cent helps and by being able to defray some of the costs from rising energy costs is going to be key to be able to fund things like this,” he said. “Knowing that as energy rates are rising and our costs are going up, they are able to benefit from the investment the district made a few years ago, makes me really, really happy.” 

A district spokesperson said they expect to complete Phase Two of the project by the summer.