Solar Energy Program Won't Cost Bridgewater Any Green

The Bridgewater Township library on Vogt Drive and senior center on Somerville Road will soon have solar panels on their roofs because of the township's participation in a county solar program. The project will be completed at no cost to the residents.

The Bridgewater Township Council recently approved a resolution allowing for participation in the Somerset County Improvement Authority's Renewable Energy Program, which provides support for such projects.

The first step, according to Township Administrator Jim Naples, was the participation in the county's audit program, which was offered free to municipalities through its Energy Audits Grant Program. In 2008, the county set aside $1 million to fund audits in any municipalities choosing to participate.

Naples said the township chose to have the audit done on both the library and the senior center, and it was finished in the spring of this year.

The audit itself identified lighting and the HVAC system as two things that could be changed on the buildings to conserve energy.

The township, Naples said, is preparing to move forward with the suggestions from the audit, and is expected to begin work on the HVAC units and other changes within the next six months. The cost, he said, is expected to come to about $190,000, which will be fully funded by a federal block grant.

"No township money will be spent at all," he said. "We are maximizing our dollars."

As far as the solar program, Naples said, the township will be getting panels on the roofs of the two buildings. On the library, there will be a rooftop array of solar panels, while the senior center will have two canopy arrays.

"Our only obligation is to allow access to the sites," he said at the July 19 council meeting. "This is a 15-year program at no cost to the municipality, and we are guaranteed an electric break for 15 years."

Now that the township has decided to move forward, Naples said, the county will go out to bid for a company to install the panels.

"And we get reduced energy costs," he said.

The project is being fully funded by the county, which will pay a third party to take care of the work. The county is expected to go out to bid in the coming weeks, with the project expected to take about three to six months.

"But it could be longer, it depends on the bidder," Mr. Naples said.

This 15-year program, Naples said, guarantees that the township will see a rate reduction in its energy costs over the 15-year life of the Solar Renewable Energy Credits [SRECs] that are given by the state each time a system generates 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. The SRECs are placed in a customer's electronic account, and can later be sold to provide revenue over the 15-year period.

Electricity suppliers are the primary purchasers of the SRECs. With the credits, companies can guarantee reduced rates in energy costs for municipalities.

After that 15-year period is up, Naples said, the township could opt to purchase the energy credits or release them.

At the library, a committee had already been formed to determine ways of saving energy, and Brendan Boyle, head of reference, said the addition of these panels is a great start toward conservation.

"I think it is great, we have a one-story building that has a large flat roof," he said. "It would be excellent to be able to lower our utility costs, and would help the environment. I think it is great that the county is leading this move, and I think it will be helpful to the taxpayers."

Boyle said the library is very conscious of efforts to conserve energy, and is working on lowering its own costs through turning off more lights and computers, and saving money on paper by cutting back on printing. He said library staff members are also using coffee mugs instead of disposable cups.

"We're very conscious of these efforts, and we're very much in favor of them," he said. "We are looking for ways to help."

Although he said he is not sure there is anything patrons can do themselves to conserve energy while in the library, Mr. Boyle believes that any efforts to save money and energy will be worthwhile in the long run.

"Any of these efforts would help the county to cut the power consumption and save money," he said. "They would benefit everyone in the long run."

Donna Langel, senior affairs coordinator for the township, said she is also glad for the opportunity to save some money on energy costs in the senior center, which is open five to six days every week.

"I think we're all excited about the project," she said. "It will certainly help financially. We use a lot of lighting and air conditioning, so hopefully this will help save money for the taxpayers."