Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Gaining Solar Advantages Via a Power Purchase Agreement

  • By Ellen Kollie
  • 04/01/11
Sedona administrators were fortunate to have bond money to invest in their solar equipment and program. Not all school districts can afford to do the same. For those districts, there is a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

With a PPA, a third-party, such as Borrego Solar, with locations throughout California and in the North East, owns the equipment in a developer role, and sells the solar power to the school district. The power is sold to the district at a set, reduced rate for a specified period of time. At the end of the contract, the district owns the system in its entirety. “That’s the trend right now in Arizona,” says Kinney Construction’s Michael Thomas, LEED-AP, “and probably in the Southwest, simply because districts don’t have the money to pay for it upfront.”

“It’s a good program for school districts,” says Mike Hall, Borrego’s CEO, “because they don’t have to come up with the capital, and they don’t have to put themselves at risk for the technology performing. They simply pay for the energy that’s used.” In addition to serving as a PPA, Borrego also serves as a solar designer, installer and financier.

Featured

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).