Solar Panels Expected To Save Thousands of Dollars

After initially agreeing to participate in the county's program, the Bridgewater Township Council took one more step toward the goal of getting solar panels with the approval of a resolution Monday concerning the township's participation in the county's Renewable Energy Program.

Through the program, the county will be installing solar panels on the roof of the Bridgewater Township Library, on Vogt Drive, and a canopy system on the Bridgewater Township Senior Center, also on Vogt Drive.

Township Administrator Jim Naples said this is a 15-year program that will see hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings in energy costs over the course of the years of the program.

The library should see $458,000 in savings, while the senior center will see $159,000 in savings.

"These are cost savings over the course of the whole program," Naples said.

In July, the council approved a resolution that allowed for initial participation in the Somerset County Improvement Authority's Renewable Energy Program.

Now, this newest resolution outlines the power purchase agreement with the county, as well as the license agreement, all having to do with financing as the county moves forward with the construction.

But the work will be done at no cost to the township.

In 2008, the county set aside $1 million to fund audits for municipalities participating in the county's energy audits program. The audit was done on both the library and senior center, and identified lighting and HVAC systems as two things that could be changed to conserve energy.

The solar panel project is expected to take about three to six months.

Naples has said the township will see a rate reduction in its energy costs over the 15-year life of the Solar Renewable Energy Credits given by the state whenever a system generates 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. These SRECs are placed in a customer's electronic account, and can be sold later to electricity suppliers or purchased by the township.

The total cost of the HVAC work, which will begin in the next six months, will be about $190,000, none of which will be paid for by the township.

That work will instead be paid for by a federal block grant.