Clouds loom over renewable energy project

By early November, solar-powered parking canopies at the Athens Community Center will be completed and reaping rewards for the city of Athens---hopefully.

The structure on East State Street is being built partially from a $631,637 grant of stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The remaining 60 percent of the $1.5 million bill will be footed by Solar Vision LLC, a company based in Westerville, Ohio.

Solar Vision declined to comment on the monetary differences in average electricity bill cost for the community center after the solar installation is active, but it is clear that the array won’t create enough energy to power the entire recreation center by itself.

“It will only cover about 25 percent of the center’s electricity, but we’ve been trying to deflate the cost of the community center and this will be extremely helpful,” Director of Athens Community Center Richard Campitelli said.

Through the process of a third-party ownership agreement, the city of Athens will be billed for electricity by Solar Vision at a discounted rate instead of American Electric Power. Solar Vision will also own and maintain the structure after construction is complete.

The solar panels won't be open for rays until electrical work is finished.

“We’ll be buying electricity at a consistent rate now, which should save us money in the long run,” Environmental Chair of Athens City Council Elahu Gosney said.

Fellow Athens council member Nancy Bain voted against approval of the solar energy project when Gosney introduced it in 2009.

“Because the solar industry is so new, there’s no way we can tell whether the outcome in 15 to 20 years will be an economically good one for the city,” Bain said.

“I’m in favor of solar power and have panels on my house, but I don’t think it was a good use of city land and the benefits aren’t endless,” Bain continued. “Using tax money to produce something that isn’t guaranteed to create a profit or jobs seems pointless.”

Funds granted under the ARRA are intended to rebuild the economy from within communities with special projects and to create new jobs for community members. However, according to Eric Kadon, Dovetail Solar & Wind’s project manager, only 10 to 12 jobs were created through the project, many of which required an electrician’s license.

For a project deemed “risk-free” by Gosney, the absence of figures provided by Solar Vision that would demonstrate a balance between cost and benefit is disconcerting.

Solar Vision wouldn't answer when asked about the rate of savings and earnings Athens would experience in years following the installment. When the city council member backing the entire project was asked, he couldn’t.

The solar array is located in the center's parking lot off of East State Street.

“I don’t have an answer to that question really,” Gosney said. “Since the system will be separate from city billing and financed under Solar Vision, we’re not really privy to the financial details.”

“Time will tell whether this was a good choice,” Bain concluded. “It may have been more beneficial for the city to build and own an array instead of having a third party in control.”

After the panels are installed and soaking up sun for renewable energy, the city plans on monitoring data as much as possible to show the Athens community concrete statistics on the project’s progress.

“The city plans to demonstrate the energy saving to the community via a kiosk that will be placed in the lobby of the recreation center,” Gosney said. “It will document how much power the panels are generating and all the energy savings over time, which will hopefully make people feel confident that this decision was a beneficial one.”