Woodward Middle School Solar Panels Serving as Carbon Offset for the Ted Spearman Justice Center
Background
In 2020, the City Council reviewed the option to pursue LEED Certification for the new Police/Court facility (the new Ted Spearman Justice Center). The City Council opted not to seek LEED Silver certification and instead instructed the Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) to review and provide recommendations on alternatives for closing the gap between what LEED Silver would have produced in terms of metric tons of carbon dioxide, and what the new Justice Center would produce without certification.
In 2023, the Climate Change Advisory Committee recommended that Council install a 120kW photovoltaic (PV) system at a location on Bainbridge Island to offset a total of approximately 274 metric tons of carbon dioxide anticipated to be produced at the new Justice Center from 2024 to 2045. Because no City-owned facility was identified as a good site for a 120kW solar PV project, the City sought property owned by another public agency for this project.