Sewer Plant to Run Partially on Solar Energy

Newtown will embark on a nearly half-million dollar project to install solar panels at its wastewater treatment plant, with about 70-percent covered through a grant and the rest coming from a sewer capital reserve fund, officials said.

“This took quite a bit of work to get this grant,” Public Works Director Fred Hurley said.

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, which receives its money from a surcharge on residential and commercial electric bills, recently awarded Newtown $325,870 for the project.

The rest of the funding –  $140,388 – will come out of a capital reserve fund that sewer customers paid into, he said. In total, the project is estimated to cost $466,258, Hurley said.

OPEL Solar International, a Toronto, Canada-based company with operations in Shelton, submitted the lowest bid for the project, Hurley said.

Initially, the town was in talks with the company last fall about constructing a solar field that could be used to generate electricity for use by commercial residents but plans for that have been put on hold, and this smaller project was an offshoot of the concept, Hurley said.

The plans call for a 95 kilowatt turnkey solar photovoltaic installation, according to a company-issued press release. The system is expected to reduce the plant’s traditional electrical usage by about 30-percent, Hurley said, adding that financial impact statements put the payback between seven to 10 years using conservative estimates.

The project will benefit sewer customers by stabilizing electricity expenses, Hurley said. Sewer customers also won’t see future taxes increase as a result of the project, he said.

“We’re taking it out of capital reserve fund,” Hurley said of the $140,388. “This is part of our capital investment budget.”

The town and manufacturer need a three-month lead time to get the equipment, with a planned installation by the end of the year, he said.

“By October, December, it should be up and fully operational,” Hurley said.