By: centraljersey.com
LAMBERTVILLE – After working for close to three years to develop a plan to bring solar-powered energy to Lambertville and West Amwell, the South Hunterdon Renewable Energy Cooperative will sign a contract with Swan Creek Energy LLC on March 31.
The monumental event will take place at the Lambertville Justice Complex, 25 S. Union St., at 11 a.m.
The South Hunterdon Renewable Energy Cooperative consists of the City of Lambertville, Lambertville Public School, Lambertville Municipal Utilities Authority, West Amwell Township, West Amwell Elementary School and South Hunterdon Regional High School.
"Every entity in this cooperative got some benefit," Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio said, "and at no cost to taxpayers."
Under the terms of the 15-year agreement, Swan Creek Energy would assume costs to build and operate the system.
It would recoup its investment by selling energy to the consortium at a significantly reduced rate as well as claim government investment tax credits and other benefits from the project.
Energy produced by the solar fields will be sold to the entities at 8.6 cents per kilowatt compared to a public utility rate of between 17 and 19 cents. It is estimated that SHREC members will save a combined total of $105,000 a year for about $2.4 million over the 15-year contract when all benefits are factored in.
The project will eliminate an estimated 974 metric tons of carbon dioxide emission a year. That is equivalent to taking about 200 cars off the road, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. "It’s good for the environment and good for the pocketbook," Mayor Del Vecchio has said.
As part of the power purchase agreement, solar panels would be installed across about 5 acres of land in fields behind the township’s municipal complex along Rocktown-Lambertville Road. The solar panels would provide power to the municipal building and nearby high school.
In addition, Swan Creek Energy would pay the township $30,000 a year to lease the land. The amount would increase by 2 percent each year the contract is in effect.
Elsewhere, solar panels would be mounted on the roof at West Amwell School.
As part of the agreement, Swan Creek Energy will conduct a $25,000 feasibility study for a small hydroelectric plant at the locks of the Delaware & Raritan Canal near the Lambertville sewerage treatment plant.
In addition, the city and Lambertville Public School are credited with $75,000 for energy efficiency. Those funds could be used "straight out" for energy efficiency projects or applied to matching grants, Mayor Del Vecchio said. The school, for example, could use the money to convert its boiler heating system to natural gas for a significant savings, he said.
Swan Creek Energy also is reimbursing SHREC for $15,000 in consulting fees it paid to Birdsall Services Group of Farmingdale, to review the renewable energy proposals and make recommendations. It is estimated that SHREC saved as much as $50,000 in consultation fees by ironing out many of the details themselves.
Main Street Power Co., of Boulder, Colo., was the only other company to submit a proposal.
Swan Creek Energy also is allotting $100,000 to SHREC for consulting and lawyer fees and costs associated with monitoring construction.
It is anticipated that the solar energy project will be up and running in this year. It was not immediately known when construction would begin.
Lambertville resident Bradley Campbell is president of the Trenton-based Swan Creek Energy. Also an attorney with law firms in Trenton and Washington, D.C., Mr. Campbell is a former commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Ray Angelini, an electrical contracting and engineering firm in Sewell, will install the solar system. His firm has built numerous large-scale solar projects in the state, including the Atlantic City Convention Center, Liberty Science Center Museum and public buildings in Ocean County.
The project almost did not get off the ground when, several years ago, requests for proposals went unanswered. The situation changed when the government began offering tax incentives to make it more appealing to vendors and investors developing renewable energy sources.
For additional information, visit: www.lambertvillenj.org.

