Loading...
Orleans Identifies Four Sites For Future Solar Projects
The town’s wastewater treatment facility, which consumes more energy than any other municipal building in Orleans, is being looked at as a potential site for a ground-mounted solar array that could help defray those costs. FILE PHOTO
ORLEANS – The town will soon go out to bid to find options for potentially bringing solar to four municipal buildings.
The select board on Jan. 8 gave its support for plans to seek bids for solar projects at the town’s police station, wastewater treatment facility, water department building and public works headquarters.
The decision to put requests for proposals out to developers came out of conversations between the town’s energy and climate action committee and the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative about how best to explore future solar and alternative energy opportunities for the town. Assistant Town Manager Mark Reil said going out to bid is the first step in allowing the town to “make decisions based on real information” regarding future solar projects.
“The idea would be to obtain proposals that look at both power purchase agreement options as well as ownership options, and then come back to the board and other interested folks and make a decision about whether or not we even want to move forward with anything,” Reil told the select board.
In a memo to the board dated Dec. 12, the energy and climate action committee recommended that the RFPs go out in two phases. The first phase would solicit bids for the DPW building on Giddiah Hill Road and the water department building on School Road. The police station and wastewater treatment facility would be put out to bid in the second phase, according to the committee’s recommendations.
Specifically, the committee is looking for options for building a 318 kilowatt “behind the meter” system for the roof of the DPW building. That includes prices for a town-owned system and one operated by a third party. In the latter case, the town would buy power from the vendor.
At the water department, the committee is looking at a ground-mounted 345 kilowatt behind the meter system. The committee is recommending that proposals be sought for a town-owned system at the site.
“It would be generally located on a clear area near the plant but may include the removal of some trees to get the full 345KW installed with consideration for preventing shading of the system,” the committee wrote in its memo.
The committee envisions a 600-kilowatt ground-mounted system at the wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way, which could include using space at the former composting site. There is limited room for a roof-mounted system at the police station, the committee notes, adding that options for a carport should be considered to augment power generated from the roof system.
“This would need to be developed with the police chief’s input to ensure the project was a net benefit to the department,” the committee wrote.
The committee’s memo also included some cost estimates for town-owned systems at each location. The DPW project is estimated to cost $874,500 with a six-year payback period. The water department project comes in at an estimated $1.03 million, a cost that is expected to be paid back in seven years. The wastewater project is estimated to cost $1.65 million with a six-year payback period, and the 40-kilowatt police station project would recoup the town’s estimated $110,000 investment in eight years.
A third party project would not require any capital investment from the town, and the town would not receive any tax credits. But there would be savings. The committee estimates that the town could save $46,922 in energy costs a year at the DPW building through a third party vendor, $95,267 at the water department, $153,365 at the wastewater treatment facility and $9,743 a year at the police department.
Reil said the town plans to move quickly on the RFPs and that he anticipates receiving responses from developers in March
“It is a timely matter just because there are incentives out there right now, and to get ahold of those we really need to get moving,” he told the select board.
Board member Michael Herman echoed that urgency, cautioning that incentives for solar projects are “drying up.”
“Those incentives are there for early adopters and innovators and people who want to move things forward,” he said. “Once you get enough traction, those incentives go away. The subsidies go away.”
Assisting the town in the process is TitanGen, the renewable energy division of Titan Energy. Adam Teff of TitanGen said the company will guide the town through the process of bringing solar to the sites “from start to finish.”
“So essentially we’ll see what makes the most sense for the town, and this is the way we figure that out,” select board chair Mark Mathison said.
In a follow up email, Reil said that only one other town building, the senior center on Rock Harbor Road, is currently supported by solar.
Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com
The select board on Jan. 8 gave its support for plans to seek bids for solar projects at the town’s police station, wastewater treatment facility, water department building and public works headquarters.
The decision to put requests for proposals out to developers came out of conversations between the town’s energy and climate action committee and the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative about how best to explore future solar and alternative energy opportunities for the town. Assistant Town Manager Mark Reil said going out to bid is the first step in allowing the town to “make decisions based on real information” regarding future solar projects.
“The idea would be to obtain proposals that look at both power purchase agreement options as well as ownership options, and then come back to the board and other interested folks and make a decision about whether or not we even want to move forward with anything,” Reil told the select board.
In a memo to the board dated Dec. 12, the energy and climate action committee recommended that the RFPs go out in two phases. The first phase would solicit bids for the DPW building on Giddiah Hill Road and the water department building on School Road. The police station and wastewater treatment facility would be put out to bid in the second phase, according to the committee’s recommendations.
Specifically, the committee is looking for options for building a 318 kilowatt “behind the meter” system for the roof of the DPW building. That includes prices for a town-owned system and one operated by a third party. In the latter case, the town would buy power from the vendor.
At the water department, the committee is looking at a ground-mounted 345 kilowatt behind the meter system. The committee is recommending that proposals be sought for a town-owned system at the site.
“It would be generally located on a clear area near the plant but may include the removal of some trees to get the full 345KW installed with consideration for preventing shading of the system,” the committee wrote in its memo.
The committee envisions a 600-kilowatt ground-mounted system at the wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way, which could include using space at the former composting site. There is limited room for a roof-mounted system at the police station, the committee notes, adding that options for a carport should be considered to augment power generated from the roof system.
“This would need to be developed with the police chief’s input to ensure the project was a net benefit to the department,” the committee wrote.
The committee’s memo also included some cost estimates for town-owned systems at each location. The DPW project is estimated to cost $874,500 with a six-year payback period. The water department project comes in at an estimated $1.03 million, a cost that is expected to be paid back in seven years. The wastewater project is estimated to cost $1.65 million with a six-year payback period, and the 40-kilowatt police station project would recoup the town’s estimated $110,000 investment in eight years.
A third party project would not require any capital investment from the town, and the town would not receive any tax credits. But there would be savings. The committee estimates that the town could save $46,922 in energy costs a year at the DPW building through a third party vendor, $95,267 at the water department, $153,365 at the wastewater treatment facility and $9,743 a year at the police department.
Reil said the town plans to move quickly on the RFPs and that he anticipates receiving responses from developers in March
“It is a timely matter just because there are incentives out there right now, and to get ahold of those we really need to get moving,” he told the select board.
Board member Michael Herman echoed that urgency, cautioning that incentives for solar projects are “drying up.”
“Those incentives are there for early adopters and innovators and people who want to move things forward,” he said. “Once you get enough traction, those incentives go away. The subsidies go away.”
Assisting the town in the process is TitanGen, the renewable energy division of Titan Energy. Adam Teff of TitanGen said the company will guide the town through the process of bringing solar to the sites “from start to finish.”
“So essentially we’ll see what makes the most sense for the town, and this is the way we figure that out,” select board chair Mark Mathison said.
In a follow up email, Reil said that only one other town building, the senior center on Rock Harbor Road, is currently supported by solar.
Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com
A healthy Barnstable County requires great community news.
Please support The Cape Cod Chronicle by subscribing today!
Please support The Cape Cod Chronicle by subscribing today!
You may also like:
.JPG)
.JPG)
