Glen Carbon Adds Solar Power To Water Treatment Plant Project

GLEN CARBON - The Glen Carbon Village Board on Tuesday approved a $29,000 amendment to their agreement with WHKS & Co. for the Water Treatment Plant Project, adding the assessment and design of a solar power system.

According to the amendment, the village requested additional assistance from WHKS “with the assessment and design of a solar power system at the New WTP site.” The village has agreed to compensate WHKS with a “Lump Sum Fee” of $29,000.

Public Works Director Scott Slemer anticipates the “payback period,” or amount of time before the solar array recoups the village’s investment, to be about five to six years.

The full scope of “solar evaluation and electrical design” services to be provided under the amendment is as follows:

• Evaluation of the site to determine acreage available for solar arrays.
• Evaluation of the plant electrical loads to properly size the solar arrays to fully offsite electric utility usage.
• Estimation of anticipated power to be generated from solar arrays.
• Research available grants and tax incentives for solar arrays.
• Estimation of the solar array construction costs and annual maintenance costs.
• Estimation of the anticipated pay-back period for the solar array installation.
• Performance of preliminary and final design of the solar array installation requirements.
• Assistance in reviewing contractor bids for solar work.
• Review of contractor shop drawings for all items related to the new solar arrays.

The amendment clarifies these services do not include “any solar design for the proposed well field site.”

“There is not enough available space at the well field site for the installation of solar panels, and what space is available should be left open for the future maintenance and development of wells,” according to the amendment.

Village trustees voted unanimously to approve the amendment in one of their shortest meetings of the year so far.

More like this:

Print Version