The Arizona School Facilities Board (SFB) is finalizing a plan that will provide $5 million to rural school districts for the purchase of solar energy systems. Twenty-one school districts will receive grants. As relayed by the Phoenix Business Journal, the SFB aims to maximize the bang for its buck by focusing on helping small schools save on monthly operating costs.

“We found that by targeting the smaller districts, we were able to help more districts,” said Kerry Campbell, spokeswoman for the SFB.

For small school districts, saving several hundred dollars on electricity bills, month over month, can be a real boon.

Peter Fagergren, principal for Patagonia Elementary School about 20 miles northeast of Nogales, said the nearby high school had a solar system installed with incentives from the Sulfur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. last year. Fagergren, who also is principal at the high school, said the district saves about $600 a month, and with the incentives it is a deal too good to pass up for the elementary school.

“That’s been reducing our monthly bill, and we decided to get one for our elementary school,” he said.

In addition to the $5 million for solar energy projects, the board has allocated $13 million for energy efficiency programs. The maximum amount available for a solar power system is $240,000, while the smallest amount will be no lower than $32,000. The grants are funded with state and federal stimulus money.

To date, the state has granted about $4 million for the projects, but the SFB is still working out details on how schools must procure the solar energy systems to be eligible for funds. A final decision is likely at the board’s meeting, which takes place later this month. Districts will likely have three ways to go about purchasing and installing the systems: through state contract, a local education cooperative, or via their own request for proposal process.