Sun may power Hopewell Township facility

Rex Parker:"A solar system properly installed is very low-maintenance, and it’s a money-maker in the long run"

By John Tredrea
   Here comes the sun.
   Hopewell Township is filing an application with a state rebate program that could pay half the cost of installing solar panels on the township Public Works Building.
   The energy collected by the panels would be converted to electrical energy for the building on Route 546 near Scotch Road.
   "A solar system properly installed is very low-maintenance, and it’s a money-maker in the long run," Rex Parker said.
   Mr. Parker, an astronomer, is a longtime member of the township’s Environmental Commission, which has made an in-depth study of bringing solar power to Public Works.
   Speaking for the commission, Mr. Parker recommended that the Township Committee apply by today (March 1) to the state Clean Energy Program that could pay, by rebate, half the cost of installing a solar system at the facility.
   The township might be entitled to a lower rebate – less than half the installation cost – if it applies after March 1, Mr. Parker said. That is because of impending regulatory changes driven by intense demand for the rebates. About $120 million in rebates have been paid by the state thus far to residential and commercial users of solar systems in New Jersey, Mr. Parker said.
   Mr. Parker gave a "rough estimate" that the cost of installing such a system on the Public Works building would be $470,000. He noted that the township’s electrical bill in 2005 was $110,000. Of that, $56,000 was spent on the Municipal Services Building, just east of Public Works. The municipal services structure houses administrative offices, the Police Department, court and municipal auditorium.
   Mr. Parker and Township Engineer Paul Pogorzelski said solar panel installation posed more design problems on the Municipal Services Building than at it does at Public Works. They added that it seemed best to confine the application for the rebate to just one building, for purposes of simplicity in an application that is being filed just before a regulatory change on funding is implemented.
   Township Committeeman Mark Iorio was effusive in his enthusiasm for trying to bring solar power to Public Works. It’s both the environmentally responsible and fiscally sound thing, he said.
   "This is the right thing to do," declared Mr. Iorio, who lauded the Environmental Commission for its work on the project. "I think this is a great thing for Hopewell Township to be doing."
   The committee voted unanimously to apply to the rebate program. Mr. Pogorzelski said the application would by filed by today, March 1.