Post by novillero on Jul 29, 2008 20:38:41 GMT -5
Cherry Hill: Solar panel cash-saver on its wayBy ADAM SMELTZ • Courier-Post Staff • July 29, 2008
Sunny days could soon be money-savers for Cherry Hill.
Plans to cover the town hall roof with electricity-producing solar panels may firm up as early as September, township leaders said Monday.
That would plant the panels across the 19,400-square-foot roof by April, said township Operations Manager Ari Messinger. He said the $800,000 project, to be funded by grants and local bonds, could trim about 30 percent from the building's $153,000-a-year power bill.
In time, Messinger said, the township would expect to see another $20,000 a month by funneling extra electricity back to Public Service Electric and Gas. He said the endeavor, including those "solar credits," would save taxpayers' money -- not cost them more.
"This is one of our biggest challenges, to find alternative sources of revenue," township spokesman Dan Keashen said. "This is a perfect opportunity. They aren't large figures, but they are meaningful."
The project is part of a 10-point Green Action Plan, adopted by the township in March. Township leaders this spring submitted a proposal for a $280,000 grant to the state Clean Energy Council, part of the Board of Public Utilities. Messinger said an answer on that request, which will determine the fate of the solar plans, should arrive by September.
Municipal leaders also are hoping to receive an additional $300,000 for the solar project through a federal appropriation. That would leave a funding gap of more than $200,000.
Keashen said that non-grant money would come from a bond, likely to be paid back over 10 years. Savings generated by the solar panels -- not tax dollars -- would cover the debt payments, he said.
Once the debt is paid, the extra dollars would go to help finance other township functions and save taxpayers some money, leaders said.
"In addition to the financial game, we're getting in the environmental game," Messinger said. He said other public buildings in Cherry Hill could be in line for solar panels if the town-hall project is successful.
The library would be next, he said.
A number of New Jersey municipalities, supported by money from the state Board of Public Utilities, are making similar moves. More than a dozen projects have been funded since 2003, according to the BPU.
The biggest endeavor may be in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, where the municipality is putting solar panels on six public buildings.
"It's a money-saver and environmentally friendly at the same time," Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac said. "It's a win-win."
He said the state is supplying $2.5 million for the $7 million effort there. Energy savings of more than $100,000 a year and annual solar-energy credits of some $400,000 will help pay for the rest, McCormac said.
"People come down on both sides," he said. "Some people just want to save taxes, and there are people who just want us to do the right thing for the environment."
Reach Adam Smeltz at (856) 486-2919 or asmeltz@gannett.com
www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/NEWS01/807290356/1001/NEWS
Sunny days could soon be money-savers for Cherry Hill.
Plans to cover the town hall roof with electricity-producing solar panels may firm up as early as September, township leaders said Monday.
That would plant the panels across the 19,400-square-foot roof by April, said township Operations Manager Ari Messinger. He said the $800,000 project, to be funded by grants and local bonds, could trim about 30 percent from the building's $153,000-a-year power bill.
In time, Messinger said, the township would expect to see another $20,000 a month by funneling extra electricity back to Public Service Electric and Gas. He said the endeavor, including those "solar credits," would save taxpayers' money -- not cost them more.
"This is one of our biggest challenges, to find alternative sources of revenue," township spokesman Dan Keashen said. "This is a perfect opportunity. They aren't large figures, but they are meaningful."
The project is part of a 10-point Green Action Plan, adopted by the township in March. Township leaders this spring submitted a proposal for a $280,000 grant to the state Clean Energy Council, part of the Board of Public Utilities. Messinger said an answer on that request, which will determine the fate of the solar plans, should arrive by September.
Municipal leaders also are hoping to receive an additional $300,000 for the solar project through a federal appropriation. That would leave a funding gap of more than $200,000.
Keashen said that non-grant money would come from a bond, likely to be paid back over 10 years. Savings generated by the solar panels -- not tax dollars -- would cover the debt payments, he said.
Once the debt is paid, the extra dollars would go to help finance other township functions and save taxpayers some money, leaders said.
"In addition to the financial game, we're getting in the environmental game," Messinger said. He said other public buildings in Cherry Hill could be in line for solar panels if the town-hall project is successful.
The library would be next, he said.
A number of New Jersey municipalities, supported by money from the state Board of Public Utilities, are making similar moves. More than a dozen projects have been funded since 2003, according to the BPU.
The biggest endeavor may be in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, where the municipality is putting solar panels on six public buildings.
"It's a money-saver and environmentally friendly at the same time," Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac said. "It's a win-win."
He said the state is supplying $2.5 million for the $7 million effort there. Energy savings of more than $100,000 a year and annual solar-energy credits of some $400,000 will help pay for the rest, McCormac said.
"People come down on both sides," he said. "Some people just want to save taxes, and there are people who just want us to do the right thing for the environment."
Reach Adam Smeltz at (856) 486-2919 or asmeltz@gannett.com
www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/NEWS01/807290356/1001/NEWS
