The new Greater Egg Harbor Regional high school in Egg Harbor City could include solar panels.

On Monday the GEHR school board approved a bond referendum for Sept. 30 
to add solar panels to the school at a cost of about $3 million.

Superintendent Adam Pfeffer said the district will have to bond the installation cost, but once completed, the district will be eligible for a $993,000 grant from the state Board of Public Utilities, and state aid could fund the rest through debt service.

In addition, the district could save as much as $64,000 per year on utility costs, and would earn energy credits that could be sold to generate more revenue.

“We could pay back our costs in less than a year,” Pfeffer said.

He said the opportunity to use solar was not part of the original high school proposal, but the district is working with the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, which is managing the project, to add them.

Solar panels are becoming more popular in school projects both for their energy savings for the district, and the ability to make additional money by selling the solar energy credits.

Margate currently has solar panels on all schools and got $126,000 for its energy credits last year. Egg Harbor Township, Ocean City, Stafford Township and Little Egg Harbor Township schools also have developed solar projects.

The Schools Development Authority, which is funding two-thirds of the new GEHR high school, on Tuesday awarded a $59,580,000 contract to Terminal Construction Corporation of Woodbridge for construction of the school. The estimated cost of construction was $65,350,000.

“That keeps us right on track,” Pfeffer said of the low bid. “It might even get us some money back at the end.”

Terminal has built several large projects in the state, including the Rowan engineering building at Rowan University.

The entire project cost for the new school is estimated at $81.7 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in late summer with the goal of opening the school in September 2010.