Secure Solar Futures, a commercial solar contractor, will build a 313-kW solar power system at Preston Park Elementary School in Roanoke, Virginia. Construction of the system is expected to start later this year at no cost to the Roanoke Schools through a 25-year power purchase agreement with Secure Solar Futures.

A total of 531 bifacial solar panels manufactured by VSUN Solar in Houston, Texas, will be installed on the rooftop of the school, and the array is expected to offset 67% of the power used by the school annually. In its first year, the school’s solar system is projected to produce 421 MWh of clean energy, enough to power 44 average Virginia homes.

Under the PPA, the solar power equipment will be provided at no upfront cost to Roanoke Schools. For the 25-year term of the agreement, Pardee Renewable Energy and Secure Solar Futures will own, operate and maintain the solar power system and will sell the energy produced to the school division at a rate lower than the local electric utility.

Preston Park Elementary School is expected to save $581,000 electricity costs over the term of the PPA. After the conclusion of the term, Roanoke Schools can opt to take ownership of the solar power system at a nominal cost, producing its own energy for the remainder of the equipment’s lifespan.

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