The Candor school district is now leveraging energy produced by its own solar power array, constructed with the help of BOCES, the state of New York and Renovus Solar. Due to the energy credits generated by the school's solar system, the district is on track to save more than $125,000 in electrical costs in 2018. 

The project is the brain-child of Candor Superintendent, Jeff Kisloski, and BOCES energy services coordinator Alwyn John. The solar array's construction was grafted on to existing plans to redevelop the districts transportation infrastructure. By re-designing a new bus garage and investing in solar, Jeff and his team were able to save local taxpayers more than $6.5 million on project costs and energy expenditures. 

"When we dove into the numbers, we found that it was financially irresponsible NOT to invest in this project," Jeff remarks. "With State Aid, we were able to offset 90% of the costs of the solar system, and the $125,000 we save a year on energy equals what would be a 2.5% savings on the tax burden."

The project was completed within four months by Renovus Solar, Central New York's largest residential and commercial solar contractor. Kate Millar, VP of Development led the effort. "It was a pleasure to work with Jeff and his team, and we couldn't think of a better way to utilize solar power," says Ms. Millar. "Continuing to engage with the school district and its students will be a focus of our team moving forward. Solar is more than a way for the district to save money, it's a way to set an example for their students and educate them about the future of responsible energy production."

Mr. Kisolski agrees and hopes that Candor's students can learn from the sound decision making of its administrative leaders. "The kids are going to grow up in a different world than we grew up in...I hope they see that their school district was creative and responsible when it came to making decisions about its energy consumption." Renovus and the school district hosted about 60 students on the farm to teach them about the investment in early May and will continue touring the school throughout the year. 

Renovus Solar | renovussolar.com