Proposed Solar Farms Bacton Hill Road Site: 2.73 MW Warehouse Site: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Proposed Solar Farms

Great Valley School District

Bacton Hill Road Site: 2.73 MW Warehouse Site: 2.475MW Total: 5.2 MW

The Future is Now

The Project Team

Blue: Great Valley Schools Yellow: Solar Farm Sites

Aerial View of Proposed Sites

Aerial View of Site

Bacton Hill Road Site

Site Location: 3.56 MW Great Valley High School and Middle School

Solar Farm Site Layout

Bacton Hill Road Site

Existing Water Typical Solar Array Solar Farm Area 1 ~ 1.59MW Solar Farm Area 2 ~ 1.14MW

Existing Site Conditions

Bacton Hill Road

Aerial View of Site

Warehouse Site

Roof Mount & Solar Farm Combination

Site Location: 69 kW Solar Farm Site: 2.40 MW

Parking Area

Solar Farm Site Layout

Warehouse Site – Roof Mount

69 kW Solar Array Roof Mount-238 Panels North Facing Roof ~ Unusable Unusable Roof Area

Standing Seam Roof Installation is Quick and Easy. The use of S-5 Clips allow for zero roof penetration for mounting of panels.

S-5 Clip

Parking Area

Solar Farm Site Layout

Warehouse Site – Solar Farm

2.40 MW Solar Array 8,298 Solar Panels 25’ Setback from Existing Property Lines 69 kW Roof Mount

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

GREAT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT…

Will be able to reduce their electric bill, accommodate budget issues & save jobs. Will be able to “fix” their electric bill for 20 years – while everyone else will be experiencing increase that comes with volatile deregulation. Will be the premier leader in the country of “Green Schools” and environment. Can educate our children on technology of the future Can attract other grant money allotted by Department of Education and Academy of Energy Education Help for an already strained budget, allowing more money for educational programs! Help reduce needs to raise school taxes!

• Information about Solar Panels:
• Tempered glass or “Glazing” is used

to prevent cracking of the panel. It “provides” a strong, durable surface. the texture of the glass prevents any glare so that all sunlight is absorbed.

• The Frame around the panel is made
• f anodized aluminum to prevent

corrosion and extend the life of the

• panel. Black frames are available.

Knowing the Solar Panel

Solar panels do not produce Noise, Pollution, or Glare. They are made to produce Clean, Renewable Energy from the Sun

Typical Ground Mounted Array

Typical Racking Style

Ground Screws

• Provide a better

alternative for Ground Mounted Solar Arrays.

• No concrete bases,

reducing the amount of impervious surfaces.

• Eliminates the need for

digging and soil removal.

• Greatly reduces excavated

sediment run-off

• Reduces installation times

significantly compared to

• ther ground mounting

methods.

Law S-921 Exempts Solar Panels from being considered “Impervious Cover” because they are elevated panels that DO NOT completely cover the ground and prevent water absorption.

Wildlife Impact

• Maintain natural habitat patterns:
• Allow for natural processes to continue:

Plant food Plots of clover for deer

• Enable wildlife movement:

Connect open spaces to allow safe and easy passage of local wildlife.

• Maintain key plant and animal species:

Consideration of species throughout all phases of the project.

• Minimize extent of disturbance:

Landscaping will allow wildlife to continue using the area close to developed area.

Solar Farm is a Good, Respectful Neighbor

• No pollution, quiet, little traffic after installation (limited to routine maintenance)
• Noise not perceptible during the day.
• Inverter houses installed with soundproofing; zero noise at night.
• 24x7 Security System: Closed Circuit TV monitored remotely.
• Light Pollution not a factor - low wattage bulbs at inverters - emergency access.
• Extensive research on property value degradation. DOE study - No correlation
• Research - no correlation found - ambient air to effect micro climate
• RFI / EMI will be mitigated with shielding, filtering and suppression
• Meadow mix of Sheep Fescue planted beneath / between rows

Solar Benefits. . .

YOU, ME Your Next Door Neighbor & Every Citizen of the United States

Do you Pay Taxes? Do you have a Car? Do You Support Green Energy? Do you want to reduce our dependency on foreign oil? How about Children, do you want them to have a sustainable future?

If you answered yes to any or all - then you are a benefactor of this project. From the Township, to the School District, to the Region, to the State, and up to National Level – Great Valley Solar Farms will be a positive reflection on the area and our futures!



Housing:

• Adds families, further burdening already full to capacity school districts and other Local and State

services.

• Adds additional loading to the sewer system which is potentially already at capacity.
• Results in the development of new roads / highways, sidewalks, etc., which results in increased water

run-off and pollution to nearby detention/retention ponds and streams.

• Requires additional water wells to be drilled which will tax existing aquifers.
• Will mean increased traffic volume in quiet, residential neighborhoods.

Benefits of Solar Farm over other land development types such as housing

Environmental Impact

Lower Carbon Footprint: This Solar Farm over a period of 25 years will reduce Green House Gas emissions by 137,629 Tons of CO2.

Environmental Impact

Equivalent CO2 Reductions: This Solar Farm will Reduce the amount of CO2 equivalent to driving:

• A Small Car: 466,539,113 Miles
• A Medium Sized Car: 250,234,615 Miles
• An SUV: 175,323,615 Miles

Environmental Impact

Equivalent CO2 Reductions: This Solar Farm will Reduce the amount of CO2 equivalent to flying:

• An Airplane: 283,771,213 Air miles

Environmental Impact

Equivalent CO2 Reductions: This Solar Farm will Reduce the amount of CO2 equivalent to the amount of CO2 from Trash and Waste from:

• 250,235 Persons

Environmental Impact

This Solar Farm will have an impact equivalent to:

• Planting 5,505,162Trees

Company Profile

 Family owned….Almost 40 Years  Major employer for Chester County with over 100 Employees  Experience with Solar Farms.  Three certified Green Advantage Employees.  Received Gold Level safety award from the Association of

Builders and Contractors.

 Clients include- Lowes, Home Depot, Michaels, Linens ‘N Things,

and Wal-Mart.

 Keares is Dedicated to improving the environment. We recycle

all construction materials.

 3.4 Megawatts installed to date.

“Quality, Integrity, and Fairness”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How will this project benefit GVSD? The electricity generated will be credited to GVSD to offset electric consumption. It’s possible that the solar farm could generate 100% of the power used by GVSD. How much money will this project save GVSD? As much as $686,400 in year one, and $16.9 million over 20 years. How much capital outlay is GVSD responsible for?

• Zero. All costs associated with the installation and 20-year maintenance of the solar

arrays will be paid for by the Special Purpose Entity (SPE). What is the Special Purpose Entity? The SPE is a legal entity that is funded by a group of high worth donors for the purpose

• f receiving tax benefits.

How does this model benefit the donors (benefactors)? The benefactors will receive a higher cumulative Tax Benefit than a straight cash donation to the school district over a 20+ year period. The benefactors receive this benefit while producing an environmentally positive project.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is GVSD’s responsibility? GVSD must lease the property to the SPE for a nominal fee for the duration of the 20- year agreement. Is this project similar to the solar system at Great Valley Middle School?

• No. The MS system is owned by GVSD and was built with a combination of district and

grant funding. The power generated there goes directly into the school. GVSD owns all Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) produced by that system. Who owns the SRECs under this proposed model for the Bacton Hill Road sites? All SRECs earned are owned by the SPE. Does the viability and success of this project depend on the value of the SRECs over the 20-year period?

• No. The benefit to the benefactors is not dependent on the value of the SRECs. In fact, it

is somewhat protected by the current low value of the SREC market. What is the name of the Engineering company who is heading up the project Keares Electrical Contracting Inc. will be hired by the SPE and will be responsible for the engineering of the system. Keares will hire other engineering consultants as required.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is the investor (benefactor) group? The investor group will be assembled by the project’s developer, Mr. Robert Grillo. As the project progresses, and prior to any agreement being placed before the GVSD Board of Directors, the members of the group will be finalized. Does the contractor currently have other sites in operation. If so, where? Keares has performed several large scale solar installations, most notable the 1.0 megawatt solar farm for Aqua PA, Inc. in West Bradford Township. Has this model been implemented elsewhere? This model has not been completed at any other locations, although it is in development at the University of Pennsylvania. What specific tax code allows this model to work? Special Purpose Entities have been set up elsewhere to purchase solar installations funded by a group of investors. GVSD attorneys and financial consultants will thoroughly vet this model to ensure it’s legality and limit liability for the District. Is there a PECO incentive, or any other programs, that make this model work? There is no PECO incentive available at this time, so the project is not dependent on that. A Federal Treasury Grant has been calculated into the model, to be obtained and repaid by the SPE.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How will the size of the solar farm be determined? The system will be sized to produce an amount of electricity that is equal to GVSD’s current annual consumption (approximately 6.2 megawatts). Could the system be sized larger so that the excess electricity could be sold by the SPE? No, that would not benefit the investors and is not being proposed. Why would the SPE supply power only to GVSD? According to the utilities regulations, the power generated can only be credited to non-profit facilities within a 2 mile radius of the solar farm. There is no incentive for GVSD to lease additional property to accommodate other organizations. What happens if GVSD’s electric consumption increases over the term of the agreement? What happens if it decreases? GVSD will get credit for the amount of energy produced. For example, if the farm produces 7.2 MW per year but the consumption rises to 8.0 MW, GVSD will still receive the value of 7.2 MW. If consumption drops to 6.0 MW then GVSD will receive the value

• f 6.0 MW.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is this type of investment performance based? What happens if the investment deal fails? The performance of the solar farm is very predictable, and will be guaranteed by the

• SPE. GVSD attorneys will ensure that any agreement will protect the short-term and

long-term interests of the school district. What happens to the equipment when the 20-year agreement ends? This will be defined within the agreement. The most likely options are that the SPE removes all equipment and restores the property to it’s original condition, or the

• wnership of the solar farm is transferred to GVSD for a nominal fee.

What is the downside to GVSD in return for the savings? Since GVSD will lease the property to the SPE for 20 years, they will relinquish access to that land for improvements during the 20-year period of the agreement. This could impact the development of the land for future needs, such as a new school building. However, the solar farm on the Bacton Hill Road site will require just a fraction of that

• parcel. There would still be ample room for a future school building.

What happens if GVSD needs all of the land before the agreement ends? This scenario could be accounted for within the agreement as it is developed by the attorneys.