Solar for Huntley: ForeFront Power to develop 5.6 MW of solar across 3 school campuses for Huntley Community School District 158 in Illinois

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Aug 02, 2018, 12:41 ET

ALGONQUIN, Ill., Aug. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ForeFront Power and Huntley Community School District 158 ("Huntley") announce a partnership to install 5.6 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic capacity across 3 school campuses. The ground-mounted projects are expected to save the district $4.2 million over 20 years while offsetting 12.3 million pounds of carbon emissions annually.

Huntley High School is among Huntley Community School District 158's seven Energy Star-certified buildings. The school recently underwent a $35-million, state-grant funded renovation and addition project that increased its footprint by approximately 25% but has yielded no appreciable increase in utility costs.

K-12 school districts across the United States are often burdened by high energy costs, which total approximately $8 billion annually according to the U.S. EPA. These costs are second only to those for personnel, highlighting the importance of reducing these expenses for district administrators and local communities so that funds can be spent more directly on student education.

"On-site solar energy is a natural progression from our energy efficiency projects and conservation efforts," said Dr. Scott Rowe, Superintendent of Huntley 158. "Seven of our buildings are already Energy Star certified and solar will make them even more sustainable. Plus, we save money in the process."

ForeFront Power's energy solution allows schools to install solar without any upfront cost. Under this Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model, ForeFront Power will design, permit, finance, install, and maintain the solar energy project for a 20-year term. In return, Huntley simply pays for the electricity generated by the system at a predictable price below their existing utility rate.

"We are excited to work closely with Huntley's local community to make these projects a success," said ForeFront Power's Co-CEO, Paul Walker. "Not only will the community benefit from having more renewable energy, but our projects will also provide an on-site learning opportunity for students."

Each school that hosts a solar project will receive a kiosk with system monitoring for community members and teachers to see upon entering the building. ForeFront Power will also implement free energy lesson plans from Schools Power, a leading national education organization that provides school districts with standards-based renewable energy curriculum packages.

Huntley selected ForeFront Power through a competitive Request for Proposal process. "ForeFront Power submitted a proposal that offered an incredible savings opportunity for our district," said Doug Renkosik, Huntley's Operations and Maintenance Director. "Their experience working with school districts across the country was also critical in our decision-making process."

The solar projects will be constructed upon receiving interconnection approval from the utility and formal certification to receive Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) made possible by the Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act of 2016. They are expected to produce 7.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity during the first year of operation, the equivalent to nearly 12.3 million pounds of carbon emissions removed from the grid according to the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

For more information about ForeFront Power and solar energy for schools, visit k12.forefrontpower.com.

About ForeFront Power

The ForeFront Power team has more than a decade of renewable industry experience, serving business, public sector, and wholesale power customers around the world. Our team has developed over 800 MW of capacity across more than 1,000 projects, targeted on assisting public sector agencies and C&I firms to deliver the most impactful behind-the-meter, off-site, and wholesale solutions. ForeFront Power is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a global energy infrastructure and investment leader.

About Huntley Community School District 158

Located in McHenry and Kane counties of northern Illinois, Huntley School District 158 serves 9,600+ students in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, residing in Huntley, western portions of Lake in the Hills and Algonquin, and surrounding areas. The District employs more than 1,400 staff members and has been one of the fastest-growing school districts in Illinois over the past decade. The District gained renown for its campus-concept idea, devised to accommodate the huge population growth it experienced in the 2000s. Over that period, the District transformed from a one elementary/one high school district to its current five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, located on three campuses. Built between 1997 and 2005, all of the District's schools were designed with a primary focus on technology in education.

Forward Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.

SOURCE ForeFront Power