News & Press

A ray of sunshine: Council expresses support for solar project

The Westerly Sun

November 28, 2011

A national solar energy company is hoping to capitalize on recent state legislation by constructing a solar panel array on the site of the town’s closed landfill on Flanders Road.

California and Lowell, Mass.-based Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. presented a plan to put a 3.5 to 5 megawatt system on the site at last week’s Town Council meeting. The size of the system would be determined in negotiations between Borrego and Connecticut Light & Power, which would purchase the energy generated by the system.

Under the plan, Borrego would be responsible for the cost of installing the array and would receive the payment for the energy it generates from CL&P. Borrego would also pay the town an annual rental fee of “up to $25,000,” per megawatt-generating capacity, depending on the size of the system installed.

Amy McDonough, a project developer for Borrego, told the council last week that the rent might be closer to $20,000, depending on the deal the company is able to reach with CL&P.

McDonough and David A. Murphy, vice president of Tighe & Bond, Borrego’s engineering firm, appeared before the council to request that it authorize Town Manager Mark R. Oefinger to sign a letter of intent to pursue Borrego’s plan for the landfill.

The preliminary letter would not commit the town to the project, but rather express the council’s support for Borrego’s efforts as it presents the proposal to CL&P. Once an agreement with the utility was negotiated, the company would return to the town for approval of a lease.

Director of Public Works Gary Schneider told councilors that the project would present a unique opportunity to reuse the roughly 70-acre landfill site.

“This is really exciting,” he said. “Ever since the closing of our landfills … we’ve been looking for some reuse of those sites.”

McDonough said her company had installed its systems on closed landfills before, including a site in Easthampton, Mass., that was the first solar system to be placed on a landfill in New England.

“It’s an excellent reuse potential,” McDonough said. “We’re not using green space, we’re using brown space.”

Councilors were also excited about the potential project, particularly as a source of revenue to the town. Councilor Bruce S. Flax suggested that the money could be used to extend water and sewer lines on Flanders Road north of Interstate 95, an action that has long been seen as a way to spur economic growth in that part of town.

Flax ended up voting against the authorization to sign the agreement, not out of opposition to the idea, but because he said he’d like the town to look into other options for putting a solar array on the property before expressing the town’s intention to work with Borrego. Councilor Bill Johnson was the first to suggest looking at other companies, and also voted against authorizing Oefinger to sign the letter of intent. The rest of the council voted yea, however, and the motion carried by a 6-2 vote.

The Borrego deal is not the town’s first foray into generating solar energy. Earlier this year, councilors authorized Oefinger to sign contracts with South Glastonbury-based DCS Energy for the installation of rooftop solar arrays on several town buildings. That agreement has since been put on hold by the company, Oefinger said.

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