Middletown reviews solar feasibility and funding; board asked for more study

Middletown Township staff presented the results of a solar feasibility and visibility study on Oct. 16, outlining eight township-owned sites suitable for solar arrays and recommending a pilot installation at the Community Park Barn Building.

Mr. Valla described sites evaluated — including the municipal center roof, the Public Works administration building, the senior center, a north fire station, and portions of the Styers property — and noted structural or tenant-billing constraints at several locations. "Even if we were to max out this large roof of this building and we did a ground mount at the other side of the property, we still would not even be at a hundred percent of offset," Valla said, explaining that virtual meter aggregation within a two‑mile radius could allow overproduction at one site to offset consumption at another.

The presentation listed three financing pathways: a power purchase agreement (PPA) allowing third‑party construction and purchase of renewable energy; outright purchase; and a municipal lease or performance‑based contract that could include maintenance guarantees. Valla said the Department of Energy allocated "76530 Dollars" to Middletown under an EECBG allocation and recommended considering that pool for initial implementation. He estimated an approximate payback of about 11 years for evaluated arrays and highlighted that some roofs would require repairs or replacement prior to installation.

For action, staff recommended constructing one smaller evaluated array at the Community Park Barn Building (noting that building's relatively new roof) and to pursue a PPA RFP process in 2024 for selected properties. The board did not vote on the recommendations and was asked to consider the options further during next week’s budget workshop; a $1,000,000 placeholder appears in the 2024 proposed capital plan for related work.

Next steps: staff recommended more in‑depth capital planning at the Oct. 23 budget workshop and a potential 2024 RFP for PPA proposals. The board indicated interest but took no formal action on Oct. 16.