Energy Committee chair James Harrington said estimates are Ludlow would save $150,000 per year in municipal electricity costs.
LUDLOW – Voters at Monday’s special Town Meeting voted to give the selectmen the authority to enter into a 20-year contract for the lease of 14 acres of the town landfill for a photovoltaic generation system.
Borrego Solar Systems of Lowell is proposing to lease the landfill from the town for 20 years for the installation of solar panels on the capped town landfill on Holyoke Street for the production of electricity that would be sold to Western Massachusetts Electric Co.
James P. “Chip” Harrington, chair of the town’s Energy Committee, said that in exchange for the lease of the property to the solar company the town would get a credit for its electricity purchases. Harrington said estimates are that the town would save $150,000 per year in municipal electricity costs.
Electricity now costs the town 9 cents per killowatt hour, Harrington said. Estimates are that the cost would come down to 4 or 5 cents per kilowatt hour, he said.
Town Meeting member Joseph Santos asked whether the capped landfill on Holyoke Street would not be better used for athletic fields.
Harrington replied that such a proposal would require the relocation of ventilation pipes at the landfill. He said parents are unlikely to support having their children playing sports on a capped landfill.
Santos also said competitive bids should be sought before a solar company is selected. The Energy Committee already sought bids and reviewed them and has recommended Borrego Solar Systems to the selectmen due to the company’s track record and financial stability, Harrington said.
The proposal was approved by a majority show of hands by voters at the Town Meeting.
Borrego Solar Systems is about to begin construction of a solar facility on a landfill in Easthampton, Harrington said.
He said he expects an agreement with Borrego Solar Systems will be negotiated in 30 to 40 days. After that, permitting by the state could take approximately six months, and there will be a six-month construction timetable, Harrington said.
Selectmen said they will appoint a committee to negotiate a contract with Borrego Solar Systems. The committee will include representatives from the Board of Selectmen, the Energy Committee and the Board of Public Works.