Taunton school board barely OKs solar array amid fire concerns. What to know

TAUNTON — Safety concerns almost sounded the death knell for a Taunton Public Schools solar project.

The vote on Dec. 20 was split down the middle for the Taunton School Committee, with Mayor Shaunna O’Connell breaking the tie, approving a proposal to purchase and install a solar array on the roof of Chamberlain Elementary School.

School Committee members who voted yes on the proposal were Gill Enos, Jordan H.F. Fiore, Derek George and Nathan Pawlowski.

Members who voted no were Gregory DeMelo, Christine Fagan, Steven Vieira and Louis Loura.

Referred to as a “pilot program” by Superintendent of Schools John Cabral, the future of this one installation will influence the extent to which rooftop solar energy will be utilized across the school district in the future.

Why Chamberlain?

Back in March, the O'Connell administration came before the Taunton School Committee with a rough proposal of costs and savings for placing solar on each of the city's 12 public schools.

This past October, discussions of solar with the School Committee were reduced to one school: Chamberlain Elementary.

The city's Chief Financial Officer Patrick Dello Russo said at the time, it was due to costs as it would be too expensive for the city to handle the up-front costs for more than one school at a time.

Chamberlain Elementary School was chosen as the first because of the age of its roof. The roof is 25 years old and needs to be replaced in the near future.

The solar array would be installed in coordination with the school's getting a new roof.  There are federal tax incentives offered, as much as 40% off the cost of the roof, if it’s being installed ensuring the building can handle the weight of the solar array.

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How big would the solar array be?

The plan is for a 433kW solar array, or about 904 panels.

Cost and savings

October estimates showed the total cost at around $2.3 million — including around $700,000 for the new roof.

Meanwhile, electricity savings for the school are estimated at $3.6 million over 30 years, a figure that factors in rising utility costs over the decades.

In addition, every solar installation is eligible for a 30% federal tax credit, as well as renewable energy certificates (RECs), which can be sold to businesses as “green” credits on the open market for using or producing renewable energy.

Total federal tax credits for solar, battery and the new roof are estimated around $700,000, with REC figures totaling $395,000 over 30 years.  Altogether, the payback on investment — which is another way of saying the amount of time it will take to recover the cost of the investment — would be around 13 years.

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Concerns about solar fires

Committee member Steven Vieira brought up recent examples of rooftop solar fires occurring on homes, including ones in Plainville, Falmouth, and Sandisfield earlier this year, where panels caught on fire, and almost burned the homes down.

Vieira also brought up issues Amazon had installing rooftop solar arrays across 47 of its fulfillment centers in North America as part of its net zero emission plans over the decades. CNBC reported in 2022 that six of their rooftop arrays caught fire within the span of a year.

Vieira said, based on these incidents and additional research he has concluded, “the risks outweigh the gains,” with putting solar on top of the school, and he would not be voting yes on the proposal for Chamberlain Elementary.

School Committee Chair Gregory DeMelo echoed that sentiment, submitting to the Committee, for the record, several articles that showed “the dark side of solar power.” 

“Until I’m convinced that no life will be lost, I’m not supporting this,” DeMelo said

Both DeMelo and Vieira also brought up visiting nearby school districts to survey their solar structures. One school they visited had a solar canopy installed in the parking lot. They said they were told by school officials of problems they were having fixing and maintaining the solar canopy due to the company's going out of business shortly after the installation.

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Subject expert on safety

Building Superintendent Chris Carmichael told the School Committee he has been involved with many solar installations and has issued hundreds of permits for solar projects over the years working for different communities.

“These are highly regulated by every code,” including building, fire and electrical codes, he said.

He said based on his research the house fires Vieira alluded to were related to the location of the storage battery for the arrays. That is why, for the school, he is proposing the battery be isolated from the array and placed behind a fireproof wall. He is also recommending a remote shutoff switch on the side of the building for public safety officials to access in times of emergency.

Carmichael said Chamberlain Elementary School is classified as type 2A construction, meaning, according to International Building Code, it is highly fire-resistant and made up of non-combustible building materials.

Carmichael added that the Taunton Fire Department has signed off on the proposal because numerous inspections are required before and after construction of the array.

What does the U.S. Dept. of Energy say about solar array fires?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a solar array catching on fire is an “extremely rare occurrence.”

The department lists the potential causes of rooftop solar fires as design flaws, component defects and faulty installations.

Ensuring proper care for the array

The city's solar consultant Matthew Parent said the RFP process will ensure the city picks a solar company with an established track record, and not a “fly-by-night” that will be out of business in a few years.

Both Dello Russo and Parent also said the agreement with the installer will also guarantee continued maintenance through the establishing of a performance bond, which means the insurance carrier will find a replacement vendor to continue maintenance of the arrays in the event the original vendor can no longer fulfill the 30-year contract.

What proponents said

Supporters of the project said they were going to rely on the experts in the city.

“We have to trust the people in the city to do their jobs,” said School Committee member Nathan Pawlowski, adding “nothing is 0% risk and 100% safe.”

Enos said he’s had rooftop solar on his home for 10 years, and he and his family have never felt unsafe there.

Cabral also said he has a solar array on his home and there’s never been a problem with it.

“We will only know if its advantageous if we try. If we wait until everything is perfect, we will miss out on opportunities,” he said, in support of using solar on Chamberlain as a pilot program to determine if it could benefit more of the district in the future.

No timetable was given by the city regarding when the RFP process will start for the solar array on Chamberlain Elementary School.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton school will get rooftop solar array amid fire concerns