Indiana school district says solar farm will save it $2.2M

TIPTON, Ind. (AP) - A central Indiana school superintendent says his district's newly installed solar farm should save it more than $2 million over 20 years.

The Tipton Community School Corp.'s nearly 2,000 solar panels went online last month at the district's Tipton campus.

The Kokomo Tribune reports the array can produce up to 600 kilowatts of power and is expected to generate 85 percent of the electricity used by the entire district.

Superintendent Kevin Emsweller says the district has a 20-year lease with an Indianapolis-based renewable energy company, but the energy savings should allow the project to pay for itself in about 12 years. The array is expected to save the district $2.2 million over 20 years.

Some Tipton teachers plan to use the array to teach students about solar energy.

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com