As prices of basic energy continue to be more volatile than prices of other commodities, Elmhurst Park District is pleased that a project to install solar panels on the roof of Courts Plus has begun.
The project has been anticipated since spring, when the Park Board approved the District entering into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a solar investment partner.
The solar investment partner will own and operate the solar panels. They also install and maintain the system at no upfront cost. Instead, they recover the cost by selling the solar generated electricity back to the District at a fixed contracted price. The PPA will lock-in the District’s energy costs on roughly 50% of the electricity used at Courts Plus for the next 20 years.
Locking in energy costs now provides a savings to the District, as ComEd utility costs are expected to increase by a rate of inflation, if not greater, over time. The solar panels also present an opportunity to use clean, renewable energy at the District’s largest facility. The environmental impact of the solar panels will be equivalent to consuming 66,951 gallons of gasoline.
Solar panel installation is expected to be complete by January 2025.