Joliet High School District 204 expects $5 million savings from going solar

Beginning in 2026, Joliet West and Central high schools, the Joliet Township School District 204 transportation center and administration building will be powered partially by solar energy.

The district estimates the transition will save the district an estimated $5 million and conserve the equivalent of 416,948 gallons of gas over the next 25 years.

Meanwhile, a fleet of new electric Joliet school buses will save fossil fuel and recycle excess energy as a power source, according to Ilandus Hampton, assistant superintendent for School District 204.

The solar power project, approved by the District 204 board, will take eight to 12 months to complete, Hampton said, and will be implemented at no cost from the Illinois Energy Consortium powered by Future Green (IEC), a group providing school districts access to lower-cost energy systems.

The IEC received the funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools Grant program.

“This project allows us to achieve the increasingly important goal of protecting our planet for future generations, while also saving money,” Hampton said, in a joint statement with superintendent Karla Guseman.

No building closures or other disturbances to the educational process are anticipated, Hampton said.

“Throughout the design, engineering and construction phase, the district and the IEC will work in concert to be certain that the needs of students and educators come first, and that there is no disruption to learning,” he said.

Site surveys and other prep work has already been under way for two years, Hampton said.

“The amount of pre-construction work for a project of this scope is tremendous, and there is much left to do, such as making sure electrical components and building infrastructures are sound. Roofing loads need to be reverified and drawings must be stamped and approved by both IEC and school district engineers,” he noted.

The high schools and the administration building will receive only solar panels, while the transportation center will be additionally be fitted with battery storage, charging technology and its own microgrid system – a power source which operates independently from a normal power grid.

Solar panels will reside on each location’s roof and face to the south. Monitoring and other control equipment will reside in designated areas at each facility.

According to an October school board memo, the IEC funds solar projects through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which “Establishes that our district schools/sites will receive power from the solar array at a predetermined, predictable (cost) rate,” which will ease future budget planning. Hampton notes that the rate “Offers a financially sound approach to adopting renewable energy.”

The District 204 attorney already reviewed and approved all lease agreements.

Nineteen other Illinois school districts received similar funding for alternative energy sourcing.