District 214 eyeing solar panels at Rolling Meadows, five other schools as incentives set to expire

Amid the looming expiration of federal incentives next year, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 is set to release a request for proposals for potential installation of solar panels atop Rolling Meadows High School and other buildings.

The Arlington Heights-based district’s energy consultant has spent the last few months exploring the feasibility of putting solar arrays on the roofs of Rolling Meadows and five other schools, as well as the Forest View Educational Center headquarters. But the timeline to get a competitive RFP for solar vendors out on the street tightened with congressional approval of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July.

Solar installations would need to begin by July 2026, or be done by the end of 2027, to capture federal incentives due to expire, officials said.

The district is eyeing Rolling Meadows first since most of its roof surfaces are new; other schools’ roofs are due for replacement soon.

“It’s kind of a wait and see what happens with the incentive,” said Superintendent Scott Rowe. “We have to replace a lot of roofs before this becomes a viable option. This is an opportunity to dip our toe in, but we are a little late to the solar craze of the initial wave.”

“Let’s see how it goes at Rolling Meadows,” added Rowe, who oversaw installation of solar at his last district, Huntley Community School District 158, in 2019 and 2020. “(It’s) an opportunity to offset over a third of our energy consumption. As we have more roofs to work with, then we can determine, ‘Is this the best route for us?’ versus jumping all in with both feet across seven different buildings.”

Amid spikes in energy costs seen across District 214’s aging school buildings, officials have been exploring on-site solar as a way to reduce expenses and increase efficiency.

Rolling Meadows could offset 37% of its annual electricity usage by producing 1,548,000 kilowatt-hours of energy on a 1174 kilowatt system, according to a preliminary study by district consultant Nania Energy Advisors.

Buffalo Grove could offset 26%, followed by John Hersey at 24%, Prospect at 18%, Wheeling at 17%, and Elk Grove at 5%, the study found.

The district is currently paying 7 cents per kWh for electricity, but would likely pay 5 cents per kWh with solar, said Aaron Raftery, a solar expert with Nania.

That would translate to an annual savings of $203,000 — should the solar panels be attached to all six schools — or $5 million under a 25-year contract term.

The district could save more were it to purchase the solar panels outright, but the consultant is recommending the district enter into a power purchase agreement in which a third party provider pays for and installs the systems. There would be no upfront cost, and the vendor would sell power at a predetermined rate that’s less than what the schools are getting from the grid now, Raftery said.

Not owning the panels also pushes the risk of federal incentives onto the solar provider, added Becky Thompson, a senior energy adviser at Nania.

The district would still be able to benefit from state incentives, but the total package wouldn’t be as lucrative, Raftery said.

After the request for proposals goes out in October, the consultants would assess the plans and negotiate contract terms before returning to the school board for approval.

A vote could come in January, with possible installation beginning in the summer.