Libertyville schools harnessing solar power

Work continued this week to install solar panels expected to save thousands of dollars in energy costs at a pair of Libertyville schools.

The $3.2 million project at Highland Middle School and Butterfield School will place an array of 1,800 panels on each school. The panels are expected to produce enough power to cover about a third of each building's energy needs.

Libertyville Elementary District 70 officials say that means an estimated savings of about $3,000 to $5,000 a month, depending on weather conditions.

"We are committed to going green and this is another path," Superintendent Guy Schumacher said in a written statement. "This is very progressive and will add additional curricular opportunities as well as overall support of our ecosystem."

The district received $1.8 million in state grants from the Clean Energy Community Foundation to help fund the work, making it the largest district in the state to be solar-run, said Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Daniel Gilbert.

The work is scheduled for completion in December.