The sun could be warming the darkest reaches of taxpayers' pockets in the coming years as selectmen last week learned that solar generated power could offset a quarter of all combined town school and municipal electrical generation expenses by 2018 or sooner. That revelation was affirmed after Selectman Herb Rosenthal did some quick math during a Board of Selectmen presentation on existing and pending solar projects during the last meeting of the year December 19.

The bulk of time during that gathering was spent hearing two reports - the first from the town's Sustainable Energy Commission Chair and Public Works Director Fred Hurley - and the second from Deputy Director of Planning & Land Use Rob Sibley, focusing on interest by at least two solar farm developers eyeing long-dormant brownfields on the Batchelder industrial site off Swamp Road.

For the first segment of the meeting, Energy Commission Chair Kathleen Quinn joined the public works chief to review a growing list of installations, or solar projects poised for installation. She explained that today, the various solar installations already online produce about 500,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) or 4.8 percent of electricity generation required per year, offsetting 12 million kWh that all Newtown's schools and municipal buildings consume annually.

But once new installations go online at the local landfill, along with more new panels going in at Reed Intermediate School, the sun will begin generating about 2.3 megawatts (MW) of power, which will generate just under 3 million kWh - almost a quarter of municipal power use.

Mr Hurley told selectmen that the original solar panels at Reed School, now several years old, will be replaced by a planned new installation. And he is looking at moving the existing panels to a new sun-splashed location - possibly to the new Hook & Ladder fire headquarters.

"There's still a lot of life in those panels," Mr Hurley said, adding that they will continue to produce at their current, slightly diminished capacity for more than another decade.

He said weather, except for immediate storms, will not deter the Reed School installation, which should begin soon. However, he said the landfill involves poured concrete, so installation will begin in the spring.

He said the town's energy partner on the Reed School project, Eversource, may begin operational testing on or around May 1, with a target for being fully operational by June. At the same time, Mr Hurley is anticipating the landfill installation will be ready for commercial operational use by mid-October.

"We'll try and push them along to make this happen as quickly as possible," Mr Hurley said. He then went on to explain particulars about how the town will extract the maximum possible benefits from these installations.

Benefits Broken Down

Mr Hurley said on projects like the one at Reed School there is a direct usage benefit - spinning back the meter, so to speak and replacing the kWh Newtown would otherwise be forced to purchase from the marketplace.

"With distribution costs going up, it helps stabilize our costs - plus our carbon footprint is greatly reduced," he said.

The landfill installation, on the other hand, will produce a cash credit on Newtown's electric bill based on usage, Mr Hurley said.

"We pay the developer to generate the power, and Eversource credits us four to seven cents per each kW produced," he said.

"There's a benefit in both cases to stabilize energy costs," Mr Hurley said.

Ms Quinn then told selectmen that 42 residential projects totaling 370 kW of residential solar panels are not only making participating homes more energy efficient, but earned the town $10,000 in grants to buy long-lasting LED lighting for local parks, which are anticipated to produce an additional annual savings of at least $4,000.

In other energy news, Mr Hurley said the town is planning to participate in a Microgrid Feasibility Study that could eventually result in a microgrid generation program that could encompass Fairfield Hills, the Nunnawauk Meadows senior housing complex, Newtown High School, and the Garner correctional facility.

"Adding the jail [to the study] could make a huge difference," Mr Hurley said, adding that a baseline power source could address a really important need. He said the Nunnawauk facility may engage a separate future solar and generator installation project as well.

"We're going to take a look at it," he said. "We would include everything we could - the new ambulance [headquarters], Reed School, and the Parks & Rec maintenance garage."

He said the only drawback to that large-scale project encompassing all the neighboring facilities is that the potential partner Eversource does not like the related infrastructure to cross roadways.

Wrapping up the presentation, Mr Hurley also reminded selectmen that the new Sandy Hook Elementary School is maximizing multiple energy-saving features that make the school 32 percent more efficient than baseline.

Batchelder Prospects

Mr Sibley then took his place before the selectmen, detailing specifics and the potential for this long-dormant brownfields parcel to also serve as a site for a large-scale solar farm installation.

He explained that the outcomes of several Phase One assessments that have occurred on the parcel over the past few years will be combined to hopefully result in a Phase Two study to commence.

According to the website for the environmental consortium Pollutech, Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) generally are performed in two stages, Phase I and Phase II, with remediation following if deemed necessary following the completion of both phases.

Phase One ESAs typically consist of four tasks:

*Gathering information about past and present uses of the site;

*Inspection of the site by an environmental professional, usually accompanied by someone familiar with the property;

*Reviewing environmental files maintained by the site owner and regulatory agencies;

*Preparing a report that identifies existing and potential sources of contamination on the property.

The result of a Phase One ESA determines the need for further site investigation, i.e., the need for any type of intrusive sampling and analysis or may indicate that further investigation is not warranted.

Phase Two ESAs focus on gathering specific information as required about the property and can include the following tasks:

*Surface and subsurface soil sampling, groundwater and surface water sampling, soil vapor sampling (along with laboratory analysis), sediment sampling, collection of plant or aquatic species samples;

*Above/underground storage tank content and tightness testing, asbestos containing material (ACM) sampling, PCB sampling and identification, geomagnetic or geophysical surveys;

*Directly measuring conditions such as noise levels or radiation;

*Using environmental fate or transportation models to evaluate the potential migration of contamination.

The result of a Phase Two ESA is the determination of the need for a remedial work plan and may also allow the determination of whether conditions or events at the site are causing or likely to cause adverse effects and will require notification to the appropriate regulatory authority.

Mr Sibley said since the completion of a Phase One assessment paid for by a state economic development grant was completed, his office has "been able to tease shoppers looking at Batchelder."

He said two investment groups looking at sites for alternative energy installations have come calling, with one developer who is looking at solar farm opportunities on brownfield sites.

"We were ahead of the curve on that and Batchelder is a very, very good site for solar," he said. Since the price of technology has come down, he believes the site could now sustain a 2.5 to 3 MW generation project.

He said now that the town has title to the property free and clear, that Phase Two assessment could be completed next summer.