City Council discusses solar power system for Athens

Athens City Council discussed the installation of four solar arrays and their carbon offset. Screenshot by Claire Del Vita.

Athens City Council discussed an addition to Athens’ solar power system at its meeting Monday evening.

Planning and Development Committee Chair Chris Fahl explained the plan to increase Athens sustainability through the implementation of four new solar arrays located throughout the city. 

The plan was initially introduced last year with the passing of the Climate Emergency Resolution on Feb. 3, an initiative to reduce Athens’ impact on the environment. This project is one of many and will eventually provide an income source for the city.

The solar panels would be placed at the Athens Public Library field on 30 Home St., the East Park Dr. dog park, the Athens Community Center and the city pool. 

The solar panels located at the Athens library field and dog park are to be placed on the ground. Under the solar panels would be pollination-friendly wildflowers, making upkeep easier. Those at the Community Center would be on the roof and the ones at the pool would be held up by parking canopies, which would provide shade in addition to solar energy.

“We are owning up to what we should be doing, and that’s protecting the environment in the long run,” Mayor Steve Patterson said.

The project was previously scheduled to be completed and running this month. But because of supply chain and infrastructure setbacks due to COVID-19, it is still in its power purchase phase. The solar arrays will be designed and installed by Third Sun Solar, a local company specializing in solar power. BDT Architects and Designers will also play a role in the design process, having partnered with Third Sun Solar on past projects.

The main hope for the solar arrays is that they will decrease energy usage for Athens’ water and sewage treatment plant.

“Our wastewater treatment plant is a huge energy consumer to the scale of around $30,000 per energy bill per month,” Athens Assistant Service Safety Director Andrew Chiki said.

The energy generated by the solar panels would also be used around Athens to significantly reduce the city’s carbon emissions. An estimated 47,785,522 pounds of carbon would be avoided each year with a total of 1,433,565,669 pounds of carbon saved over 30 years, according to Third Sun Solar.

The solar arrays will be funded through a Power Purchase Agreement, meaning that a taxable entity will build and sell energy to the plant’s “host,” in this case, Athens, for 25 years. After seven years, Athens will have the ability to buy the solar arrays themselves. 

BrightSuite, an energy company with the third-largest solar fleet in the country, will be funding a majority of the project and will act as the taxable entity in the PPA.

Each solar array is considered its own PPA; after the seven-year mark, the city does not have to purchase all of them at once. If Athens chooses ownership at that point, they can buy the arrays that they have funds for at that time and then buy others when they want to.

Although an expensive endeavor, the solar power system will not cost constituents a penny, Third Sun Solar founder and CEO Geoff Greenfield said, and will in the end provide the city with long-term savings.

“Carbon reduction is not always going to be cheap, however building new environmental systems won’t be either,” Fahl said.