Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer, West Windsor Township Council has authorized an energy consultant to review all aspects of electricity energy use in the buildings at the West Windsor Township Municipal Center and for the possible siting of a micro grid – or solar panel array – on an adjacent vacant lot., Township Council voted 3-2 Monday night to enter into the ACESplus program (Alliance for a Cooperative Pricing System), which would allow the township to have access to energy consultant Gabel Associates. There is no cost to join ACESplus, which supplies the consultant., Township Council President Peter Mendonez and council members Ayesha Hamilton and Alison Miller voted to join the cooperative. Council members Linda Geevers and Hemant Marathe voted against it., The council has been mulling over a proposal to create the solar pane array (and storage batteries) to serve as a backup electricity source if there is a power outage., The solar panels would provide electricity for the buildings at the Municipal Complex, which include the Municipal Building, the Fire and Emergency Services building, the Police/Municipal Court building, the Senior Center and the Princeton Junction Firehouse., There are two emergency power generators that can supply power to some of the buildings, but the township Environmental Commission has studied – and favors – the solar panels., The contract with the ACESplus program does not obligate the township to move forward with the solar panels. Once Gabel Associates reports back to the council, the governing body would have to decide if it wants to issue a request for proposals to construct the solar panels., The discussion leading up to the vote drew sometimes heated comments from the public, some of whom favored installing the solar panels and others who questioned the need for it., Michael Hornsby, who chairs the Environmental Commission, told the council that the solar panels would reduce the bill for electricity and cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases generated by power plants. More than a dozen New Jersey towns already have solar panels, he said., “It’s the new reality in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and the storms we may be experiencing,” Hornsby said. He pointed to the solar panels’ ability to generate electricity, which would be store in batteries for use when it is dark or cloudy., But former council member Brian Maher asked the council why it was “wasting time” considering the issue. He said the solar panels are unnecessary and an “eyesore.” The emergency generators can supply electricity during a power outage., “It will ‘ugly up’ the town,” Maher said., People move to West Windsor because of the train station and the schools, and because the township is a “pretty place to live,” Maher said. No one would want to look at the steel and concrete solar panel installation., Former Mayor Bob Murray suggested reaching out to towns that have installed solar panels and to ask how it has benefited that town. Those towns could provide an objective view on the matter, he said., As council prepared to vote on the resolution, Geevers said she had received feedback from residents – some of whom liked it and others who “absolutely” hated it., The 5-acre site is prime real estate and many people view the solar panels as an eyesore, Geevers said. The land could be used for other purposes, such as recreational fields., Miller said she likes the idea of resiliency. One of the simplest forms would be to link the two generators together to cover the minor power outages that might occur. She suggested asking the consultant to examine installing solar panels on the roofs of the building., After the vote was taken and during the final public participation section on the council agenda, resident Cathy Brennan told the council that she was disappointed in the vote., Brennan said she would not like to see the concrete and steel solar panel installation, and also pointed out that many towns locate athletic fields near the municipal building., “It’s something you are all really going to regret,” Brennan said.
