The Bowdoinham Select Board will vote Tuesday, Feb. 8, on an agreement that would allow a private company to install a solar array on the public works garage.

Last year, the Select Board was authorized to enter into an agreement with ReVision Energy, which will install a solar array on the roof of the public works building that will cover the electric needs for the town’s municipal buildings and streetlights.

The solar array is expected to generate 113,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year. The agreement is a partnership between the energy company, the town, and a third-party investor. The town does not have to raise any money.

Planning and Development Director Jenn Curtis said if everything goes without a hitch, construction could start this summer.

Curtis said the agreement with ReVision Energy would save the town approximately $1,000-$2,000 in the first year. However, based on the current net energy billing credit value, the first-year savings are estimated to be roughly $8,000.

“Over the 20 years, the best way to guarantee savings is to buy out the project and not have to pay the (agreement) rate on energy produced,” said Curtis. “The … rate escalates at 2.5%. The total savings are hard to project due to the variability, but based on the current proposal, it is reasonable to expect at least $20k-$40k of saving for the town over 20 years.”

The town currently spends about $15,000 a year on power for its municipal buildings and streetlights.

“The Community Development Advisory Committee is happy that the board will be deciding on this issue,” said Community Development Advisory Committee Chair Wendy Rose. “There are many benefits to the town, both in savings and in using alternative energy that will help the environment.”

Rose said these savings, however, won’t reduce the tax rate.

After 20 years, the town can either decommission the panels and go back to another source of energy or can take ownership, replace aging parts, and get the full savings from owning the array.

Curtis said it is hard to determine how much it would cost to decommission the panels yet.

“It is hard to know for sure, but the information we got from ReVision is that it could be around $55,000 in today’s dollars minus the resale value of the scrap component, such as the aluminum racking,” said Curtis. “If the town owns it, it may find it more cost-effective at that time to replace the panels and keep the racking in place.”

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