Is solar power in the future for Decorah Schools?

On Monday night the Decorah Community School Board heard from John Muller of the ISFIS (Iowa School Finance Information Service) regarding a potential model for implementation of solar power for the District. The model showed a potential outlay of $5M, with an annual energy savings starting at over $300K. The most logical implementation would involve debt financing, but the model suggests payback in 10-12 years.  In 25 years it could save the District over $7M.

The Board did not take any action on Monday night, but agreed that an immediate intermediate step would be to fully implement LED lighting systems, which would enhance the return by significantly reducing power needs. If the District should decide to proceed, ISFIS would be engaged to assist in  preparing project RFPs (request for proposal).