Nine Toronto schools slated for solar roofs

That's because the yellow star could soon equal cash at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) where nine schools are slated to receive major installations of solar photovoltaic panels on their rooftops in time for the next school year.

Trustees at the board are expected to approve contracts totalling $3.7 million for two companies - the lowest bidders - to design and install the systems, which will be capable of generating a total 223 kilowatts (KW) of power when the sun is shining. The school board will feed the power back into the electrical grid and, in exchange, will be paid premium prices guaranteed for the next 20 years under the province's feed-in tariff program.

Some provincial approvals are still pending, including contract offers and notices to proceed with construction from the Ontario Power Authority. TDSB staff said they hope to have those finalized by the spring so it can put up the panels on school roofs by August.

If approved, the province's ministry of education will pay for the installation costs through its $50 million program to fund renewable energy projects in schools across Ontario in 2010-'11. However, the revenue generated by the solar roofs will go directly to school board coffers as soon as the panels start generating power.

"We're not unhappy with that arrangement," said David Percival, a manager in the TDSB's strategic building and renewal department.

Under the board's climate change action plan, Go Green, approved in early 2010, the solar power revenues will be directed into an environmental legacy fund reserve. The TDSB will use that reserve to help pay for actions to reduce the board's building-related greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 20 per cent by 2020.

The Go Green plan also calls for the TDSB to build solar power systems in 20 more schools by August 2012. However, those projects will require the school board rather than the province to finance installation of the panels. The plan estimates those up-front costs could be recouped in about 11 years by selling the power back into the grid.