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While the city of LaFayette is exploring the option of adding solar, there are no plans to do so at this time.“We don’t have any active plans to install solar panels,” said City Manager David Hamilton. “We have had exploratory meetings with a couple of solar companies, but don’t have any active projects in the works.”
Ringgold is getting closer to installing solar panels to help the city reduce power costs over time.
Three locations are now on the drawing board, said City Manager Dan Wright: Ringgold Water Treatment Plant, the Northside Pump Station located on the old sewer plant property, and the city-owned Clearview Water Tank property.
The three suggested locations came from a recent study done by Georgia Power and one of its consultants. Originally, the city was mainly considering the water treatment plant.
“Northside Pump Station looks to be the quickest payback project that we looked at,” Wright told the City Council during their Oct. 24 meeting, following the study.
Installing the panels at the Clearview Water Tank property will take the longest time for the city to recoup its investment, and the expansion of the Nature Trail near the water treatment plant means installing the panels there won’t be as straightforward.
“Councilman Haynes suggested raising the panels so that people can park under the solar panels,” Wright said in regards to the water treatment plant location.
That would also take care of annother issue – Mayor Nick Millwood said the panels might be in the floodplain at the water plant.
“I think that’s an issue they had at the Chatsworth plant and they raised their panels,” Millwood said, referencing Chatsworth Water Works, which recently installed five acres of solar panels. “We could raise them or relocate them altogether.”
Vice Mayor Terry Crawford said raising the panels high off the ground – the Chatsworth plant raised its solar panels 4 feet – makes maintenance easier.
Millwood estimated outfitting the water treatment plant site with solar would cost approximately $300,000.
“The payback schedule is 17 years break-even,” said Millwood. “I think that estimate does not take into account if we were to get a GEFA loan. If we can get this low-interest loan, it [solar] very well could be worth our while in the short term, but obviously in the long term.”
GEFA, or the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, provides low-interest loans for water and sewer projects. Wright said obtaining one is a competitive process, but qualifying means up to one-third of your loan is debt forgiven.
“It’s .89 percent [interest rate]… and it’s like a 20-year loan,” added Wright, equating the debt forgiveness to a grant.
“… The one-third [debt forgiveness] drops it to $200,000 and significantly impacts that charge and helps the payback rates,” Millwood said. “I would like someone with Georgia Power to speak with us before we decide to move forward.”
Councilman Larry C. Black’s motion to defer a decision until more information is obtained on the price as well as any grants available, passed.