The Decision To Install Solar At The City Of Appleton

From the City of Appleton:

January 17, 2022

The City of Appleton was considering installing solar on our municipal facilities for at least a decade, but it was not feasible until recently. Being that the funding is provided by our taxpayers we are obligated to be good stewards and ensure fiscal responsibility. Based on conversations with other colleagues this seems to be a similar financial position many other municipalities are facing. Though installing renewable energy is a good sustainable decision, but it often may not be a good financial decision. With costs coming down we have been able to check both boxes and are excited to install our first solar array.

The Municipal Services Building was selected as it met the prerequisites required when considering a solar array. The building has enough roof space, the roof it is being placed above is less than five years old and structurally the roof can handle the weight of the solar equipment. These criteria are necessary if you do not have the ground space for your installation.

We hired a local consultant to give us current pricing and were happy to learn our payback would be 12 years or less. Just five years ago, the payback was approximately 25 years. This is critical because most solar systems are rated for a lifespan of 30 years and their electrical output decreases throughout the life of the panels.

The system installed utilizes 631 Q-Cell 475-Watt panels totaling 296 kilowatts. We anticipate an annual savings of $28,363 based on our electrical usage. The project was funded by tax dollars totaling $390,000 plus $30,000 from Focus on Energy incentives which covered the entire price for the installation plus engineering.

On November 5, 2021 we were pleased to host Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes to visit the installation and learn about our journey.

Please feel free to email Dean Gazza, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management at dean.gazza@appleton.org with any questions or comments.

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This press release was produced by the City of Appleton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.