Politics & Government

County Solar Project Finalizes Local Site Selections

High school opts out of current round, but three township schools and two municipal buildings join project.

Warren public buildings may soon be pumping out 1,170 kW of solar-produced power, after five sites were approved for inclusion in the second round of a county-financed solar project.

The project, funded by bonds issued by the Somerset County Improvement Authority, is aimed at helping reduce local governments' energy costs by taking advantage of the roof and land areas available on the buildings. The school district and municipality will receive the benefit of the solar-produced power produced and will pay a set price per kWh of 5.9-cents—compared to the current average rate of about 13 cents per kWh—to a company providing the winning bid to the county for the work. The electricity payments are projected to pay for the bonds, as well as the maintenance and upkeep of the systems. 

The five sites approved, and estimated output from the solar systems, are the township's Department of Public Works building (with a roof system producing an estimated 46.69 kW); a canopy system at the municipal building (48.3 kW); a 170kW roof and 104 kW canopy system at Angelo L. Tomaso School; a whopping 421 kW roof system and 165 kW canopy system for Warren Middle School; and 76 kW roof and 131 kW canopy systems at Central School. 

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Former Warren Township Schools Business Administrator Peter Daquila said projects at Woodland and Mt. Horeb schools were deemed inappropriate because of pending roof replacement projects, wehereas the other schools either have had—or are in the process of having—roof replacements done in the last few years.

The county's requests for bids included several which envisioned larger systems at Central and ALT schools, systems estimated to produce more power than the buildings consume (ALT uses about 290,000 kWh annually, and Central School about 251,000 kWh).

Find out what's happening in Warrenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last month, the board of education at Watchung Hills Regional High School pulled the plug on any plans for joining this round of the project.

Officials had early on realized few areas of the school's roof were suitable for the project, either because the areas need to be repaired or the roof was not structurally suited for the panels, and considered a canopy system over sections of the school parking lots.

When that plan was dismissed, the county suggested a system placing solar panels on school-owned land between the school and Interstate 78. The irony of culling trees to install a solar system wasn't missed by the board members, who decided to sit this round out.


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