In a unanimous vote Monday, City Council approved a contract to install solar panels at the Robert Crown Community Center. The construction deadline for the panels is set for Nov. 1, 2024.
The contract with sustainable energy company Verde Solutions is a power purchase agreement, which means the contractor will construct, operate and maintain the system “on their dime,” according to Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th).
The construction of the solar panels will cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, but the city will only bear the cost of purchasing energy, Nieuwsma said.
The contract lays out a set rate of 3.95 cents per kilowatt hour for twenty years. The city currently pays about 5.25 cents per kilowatt hour.
“This represents long term operational savings for the city,” Nieuwsma said. “This is the best way to get solar on Robert Crown.”
The city will be largely hands-off with the system, but oversight will be “a collaborative effort” headed by the city’s facilities team with support from their engineering and sustainability teams, according to City Manager Luke Stowe.
The city released a request for proposals in August with the aim to award the contract in early October. The city’s proposal review team weighed submissions from Verde Solutions and two other bidders, evaluating for project approach, qualifications, expertise and pricing.
The solar panels are expected to further Evanston’s sustainability initiatives. Built in 2020, the Robert Crown Community Center was originally designed to have solar panels, but they were never added.
Nieuwsma said the contract is a step toward the city’s sustainability goals. It is also “an opportunity to celebrate a milestone,” he added.
The city’s main sustainability strategy, the 2018 Climate Action and Resilience Plan, aims to have all government properties run entirely on renewable electricity by 2030.
In 2022, the city also approved the Evanston Municipal Operations Zero Emissions Strategy, which acts as a guide to achieving CARP objectives. One of these goals includes increasing the city’s generative capability to 15%. The city generated 0.12% of its own energy as of March 2022.
City Council voted 7-0 to approve the contract without debate, with Alds. Krissie Harris (2nd) and Devon Reid (8th) absent. But Nieuwsma said he had one question for city staff.
“Where do we do this next?” he asked.
Cara Pratt, the city’s sustainability and resilience manager, said the city plans to add solar panels to the Evanston Service Center over the next few years.
She added that the new Evanston Animal Shelter, expected to be completed in June, will also add solar panels.
“As long as there’s a new and adequate city roof, we will plan to put solar on that space,” Pratt said.
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Twitter: @hannahe_webster
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