City: Tangent Energy solar project cleared initial milestones, awaits PPL net-metering approval

City staff provided a status update Dec. 18 on a proposed solar project by Tangent Energy Solutions covering a roughly 17-acre city-owned parcel near the airport.

The manager reported Tangent Energy "have overcome the first milestone" and "have an interconnection agreement with PPL," and said the project is awaiting approval for net metering from PPL. "Once that is received from PPL, then they'll be able to move forward with engineering and moving forward with the project," staff said.

Staff explained the parcel is deeded to the city and was not originally purchased for airport use, though it appears on the airport layout plan for coordination. Concerns raised by council and public commenters included potential glare and glide-path impacts; staff said both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Bureau of Aviation (BOA) have weighed in and the project cleared those initial safety reviews.

The manager described two compensation/transaction options: a guaranteed 30-year fixed rate that is roughly half the city's projected electricity cost or an annual rental structure with escalating electricity-credit terms. Staff said the 30-year option would deliver substantial long-term energy savings for the airport and other nearby city-owned facilities.

Next steps: staff said Tangent Energy will proceed to engineering once net-metering approval from PPL is received and will coordinate further with FAA and BOA as needed.