Towns offered energy systems

All the solar power you can use, for a buck. Sounds too good to be true, but that’s the deal offered by DCS Energy. Officials from 10 towns, one as far away as Wilton, left a workshop in Cornwall Town Hall April 13 with lots of questions answered, but still wondering if there is a catch. There is an edge to the whole process because decisions have to be made soon. The offer for this round of the DCS Energy Town and Not-for-Profit Solar Lease Program is tied in with federal stimulus incentives and is only good through November, or until funding and tax credits run out.With a PowerPoint presentation not working, Bob Oberle of DCS gave a short explanation and responded to lots of questions. Some town representatives, from Kent, North Canaan, Colebrook , Barkhamsted and beyond, were just getting the details. Others had read the contract ahead of time and researched potential related costs.The deal is this: for $1, due at the end of a five-year lease, a town or nonprofit can get a solar voltaic system installed on as many buildings as it owns. Each system would be either a 4kW or 9kW system; the energy produced can not exceed electricity use per meter. The systems are estimated to save $80 and $180 per month, respectively. Once the lease is paid, the building owner owns the system.Buildings that could qualify include town halls, schools, libraries, churches, firehouses, ambulance facilities, highway department garages, police stations, senior centers and bus garages.Oberle said DCS handles all the paperwork involved with the tax and energy credits. The credits are what they get out of it. There is also an anonymous investor. Oberle said he does not know who the investor is, only that it is someone who is hedging that renewable energy credits will increase in value.“You get free panels, free energy, and someone else does all the paperwork,” Oberle said. There were two potential installation-associated costs identified by people in the audience.Rooftop installations are a priority. Flat or pitched is fine. No metal, because it may become a conductivity issue; no tile or slate, which could be damaged. Oberle said his company will need assurances a roof can handle the added load. That will likely require an inspection by an engineer. Norfolk First Selectman Susan Dyer said she had already gotten a $500 quote. Where a roof cannot be used, a ground installation will be considered. Oberle said that could require a town or nonprofit to pay for trenching.Currently, 14 towns have signed on or have completed installations. Most are in the eastern part of the state, close to the South Glastonbury-based DCS Energy.News stories about a Lebanon, Conn., solar installation quote town officials there saying it did indeed end up being no cost to the town.Hartland Town Manager Richard Johnson said they started the process with DCS last fall and about three months ago, a system was installed on their firehouse roof. Structural determinations were made by experts in-house and there were no expenses.His advice was to read the contract carefully, ask questions and make any changes specific to a situation. Unlike grants, with their set-in-stone specifics towns are used to working with, Johnson said this works like a business contract.“We had the same first reaction, that it sounds too good to be true,” Johnson said. “But we spent the time working through it. We made sure the changes in the agreement were in writing before we signed the contract and it all worked out just fine.”Hartland has experience with other solar energy projects, including using Connecticut Clean Energy Fund grants and purchase power agreements, where they provide a location for an installation in return for discounted energy.Towns or nonprofits also have to supply proof of liability insurance. Existing policies may or may not cover a new solar panel installation, Oberle said. There is also a $100 interconnect fee charged by Connecticut Light & Power Co. for 9kW or smaller systems. Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway asked about applying for buildings planned for construction during the offer’s timeframe. Cornwall plans summer construction of a new storage garage at the highway department facility. Oberle told him to give it a try.Can the program be used to expand an existing solar energy system? It was a question Oberle said he had not heard before, “Which means to me there’s not enough solar out there.” Again, he advised towns to apply and see what happens.Oberle assured participants they use a qualified and insured contractor, Right Way Roofing, and that the panels are high quality. They stopped buying panels from a company in China and now use a Texas company that allows for tighter control on quality and local buying.Oberle urged town officials to contact him by email with further questions.