Construction to begin soon on solar arrays

Work is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks on the array of solar panels at Seeliger Elementary School, Mark Korinek told the Carson City School Board on Tuesday.

Korinek, the operations manager for the district, said initial work has begun at each of the five schools where 195,000 square feet of solar arrays are expected to be built.

The nearly $11 million installation cost will be reduced to $975,000 after rebates from the power company, officials have said. In order to claim the rebate, however, the project must be completed by July 20.

They estimate the school district will save $400,000 in energy costs annually.

Construction should begin in the next month at Eagle Valley Middle School as well, where city supervisors recently determined the arrays would have to be placed in the middle of the school's campus rather than the southwest corner where officials had originally planned.

Korinek said that project may take longer than originally anticipated because the alternate location will require additional grading.

The 1 megawatt system at the southeast property of Carson High School will start construction within the next month as well, Korinek said. The annual savings there should save the district $200,000 annually, he said.

Projects at Carson Middle School and Fritsch Elementary School will not get started, however, until June when students are dismissed from classes.

The panels at both those schools will be mounted on parking or shade structures in their respective parking lots, so construction will need to be when school is not in session.

If the projects do not meet the July 20 deadline, Korinek said, it may be possible to get an extension.