January 30, 2020 • Regional News
Centennial High School to get solar energy panels
Centennial High School to get solar energy panels
LAS CRUCES - With its large campus sitting in an open area on the eastern side of Las Cruces toward the Dripping Springs natural area, Centennial High School gets a lot of sun exposure.
At the same time that Centennial accrues some of the highest energy bills in the district, averaging $25,000 per month in 2019, sunshine pours over the school every day; and now the Las Cruces Public Schools is moving to convert that sunlight into power and save public money.
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Las Cruces Board of Education awarded a $1.5 million bid by Albuquerque-based installer Affordable Solar to construct a solar photovoltaic system at Centennial.
The installer was selected from four finalists who responded to a request for bids that closed in December.
The district anticipates the solar energy system will produce nearly two thirds, or 63 percent, of the school's electricity needs based on current usage.
Work is expected to enter the design phase as soon as the contract is approved, to be followed by a permitting process and approval of the utility interconnection by provider El Paso Electric.
The district projected that the interconnection application, permits and procurement of equipment should not take longer than three months.
An additional three months is estimated for construction, and depending on when the contract is approved the work could be completed by the end of August, the district told the Sun-News.
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