The Old Rochester Regional District School Committee gave school Business Manager Paul Kitchen permission to continue researching solar panels that would cover the junior high school parking lot.

Kitchen proposed the panels to bring revenue in and reduce utility costs. The school currently pays between 12 and 14 cents per kilowatt of power. A 20 year agreement with SunPower would lock in rates at 9.9 cents per kilowatt for 20 years.

SunPower would pay construction costs and own the structures for the duration of the project. SunPower also constructed  panels at Bristol Community College in Fall River.

Kitchen assured committee members that the school would not lose too many parking spots, and the panels could result in $13,000 in savings. 

Kitchen also recommended adding additional energy cells to store power that the school is not using. “If we generate more than we utilize it’s theirs, they sell it. That’s why we’re looking at storage,” he said.

School committee members asked why the panels would not be placed on the roof. Kitchen explained that he was concerned about the roof bearing the weight.

Committee members also asked about how the parking lot would be maintained and  requested research on the aesthetics of the project. However, they approved Kitchen for further research in the panels.