The Knoxville School Board approved a power purchase agreement with Red Lion Renewables at their meeting on Monday night.
The proposal, which mirrors the agreement the City of Knoxville has previously agreed to, will install solar panels on school buildings and property at no cost to the school district, who can then buy the power provided by the solar panels at a fixed rate. Superintendent Cassi Pearson tells KNIA/KRLS News this project saves some money but also provides a good educational tool as the students will have data related to the energy provided by the panels given to them, and there will be plenty of projects for the students to dig into and provide them life experiences which will hopefully get them inspired to learn more and more.
Mid-American Energy sent representatives to the school board meeting opposed to the project stating that they were deliberately left out of the planning process and the board was making a financial mistake by entering the agreement. Pearson said that the planning process has been public record for several months, and that the board has done the due diligence to make sure the project is viable financially.