Here comes the sun, The Beatles sang once upon a time.
But Riverside-Brookfield High School District 208 is singing another tune.
Here come the savings.
The new roof-mount solar array, comprised of 840 solar modules and three inverters that convert the sun’s rays to usable direct-current, or DC, power, was officially launched Tuesday at the aptly named “Solar-Bration” in the school’s first-floor commons area.
The system, which will generate 490.1 kilowatts of DC power, is expected to cover a little over 16% of the school’s electricity needs annually, according to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kristin Smetana.
The savings don’t stop there, according to Chicago-based Verde Solutions, which planned and installed the system. Annual energy savings will be $48,685 and will reduce the school’s energy bill by 12.8%. That all means the system will pay for itself within five years.
Yes, the financial aspect is important, but for Smetana, there is another pressing issue.
“It’s modeling to our students the importance of doing your part to help the environment,” she said. “Whether it’s big or small, every action that you take has an impact.
“So to inspire students to continue to take care of the environment in things they can accomplish, it’s a success.”
Senior John Isaacson was one of about 40 students in attendance at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting event, along with superintendent Dr. Kevin Skinkis, principal Dr. Hector Freytas and the entire school board. Verde Solutions founder and CEO Chris Gersch spoke, as did Skinkis, Smetana and school board president Deanna Zalas.
“It definitely means a lot to the school,” said Isaacson, a student in Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science, “and it’s kind of on us as students to carry out what they are implementing for us.”
There’s more than financial savings. Consider the reduced emissions.
Over the system’s 30-year lifespan, estimates say it will produce 16.4 kilowatt hours of electricity and will avoid 11,061 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s equivalent to 25,722 barrels of oil consumed and 2,583 passenger vehicles driven for one year.
One of the Verde Solutions personnel on the project was a 2015 Riverside-Brookfield alumnus, Grace Rasmussen, a renewable energy engineer who has a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue. For her, the project was a full-circle moment.
As an RB student, did she ever anticipate implementation of a solar array?
“I did not, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that email hit my inbox saying the school was pursuing solar and was reaching out to companies to bid it,” said Rasmussen, who also spoke Tuesday.
“This is just really important for the school. I would say they are still ahead of the curve in terms of really hedging and getting those energy bill savings, as well as taking advantage of all the available incentives in the state.”
Smetana said District 208 began discussing the possibility of a solar array in the 2019-20 school year, then started to explore it further in fall 2023. From there, an RFP (request for proposals) was distributed in February 2025. Verde Solutions’ bid was selected that April. The system itself was energized late August.
Zalas said it’s been a long road to capture the sun’s rays for the savings the system will provide, but well worth it.
“This, financially, was the right thing to do at the right time with the grants that were available,” she said. “It also shows us a leader in the sustainability environment. We’re right there at the forefront of that. For a small school, I’m very proud of that fact.”