Montville picks contractor for solar energy project at landfill

Montville — The Town Council unanimously chose Hartford-based developer Verogy last Thursday as the contractor for a 1.7-acre solar energy project at the transfer station.

The decision came a month after the council authorized Mayor Ron McDaniel to enter an agreement with TitanGen to find a contractor for the solar project.

“This is a great thing,” McDaniel said. “I believe in green energy and this brings the town closer to meeting our sustainable goals.”

TitanGen offers consultation services to the town through its partnership with the Connecticut Council of Municipalities. Headquartered in Hartford, TitanGen’s parent company, Titan Energy, a energy consulting firm with a nationwide presence, has more than 20 years of experience and has been involved in two dozen similiar projects in Connecticut communities.

McDaniel has said the town does not have to pay TitanGen any management or consulting fees. Instead, Verogy will pay the fees when it completes the project.

Adam Teff, a spokesman for TitanGen, presented to the council on Thursday three bidders for the construction of the solar arrays on the capped landfill. A capped landfill has a protective barrier between the waste in the landfill and the surrounding area.

Teff said the location of the project is “great” because it is “out of sight and out of mind” while repurposing unused land.

He said the site work to prepare the location for the 1,424 solar panels comes at no extra cost to the town and would be paid by Verogy.

Teff recommended the council choose Verogy for “having the most comprehensive and competitive proposal.”

With Verogy, the project would produce 960,991 kilowatts annually and the town would be compensated $0.18 per killowatt-hour in solar credits. The town would save $45,647 annually in electric bills over 20 years.

The energy from the array will be sent directly back to the local power grid and Eversource will be responsible for metering the system’s output and distributing the credits to the town.

McDaniel said the credits accrued to the town will be used at five town-owned buildings but which ones has not yet been determined.

Teff said the contract and solar power purchase agreement with Verogy would be good for 20 years. After that, the town has three options: determine the system is no longer useful and the bidder will remove the equipment at its own cost, seek an extension of the contract or try to purchase the system from the developer.

Town Councilor Tim May said it would be good for the community to have a second solar project to help the town save money.

The first solar project was completed two years ago when Danbury-based Ross Solar, a subsidiary of ConEdison Solutions, installed a solar field on land between Montville High School and Leonard J. Tyl Middle School, providing power to both buildings.

“I think it’s a great green energy project for the town on land that is otherwise unusable,” said council Chairman Tom McNally on Sunday. “The contractor, based on limited research, appears to be well versed on this type of project. The cost saving will be a great benefit to the residents of Montville.”

If everything goes according to schedule, Teff said construction of the project could begin during the summer of 2022 and be completed within a year.