WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Residents in north-central Wausau heard a presentation about a proposed 7.75-acre solar panel array that city leaders are considering to help power the new water treatment plant located on Bugbee Avenue.
Public Works Director Eric Lindman says he wanted residents to get the chance to see the proposals well before anything is decided because the project is planned for a residential neighborhood.
Renderings of a proposed solar array on Bugbee Ave. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
“We have some very preliminary layouts to show the residents,” said Lindman. “We also want to discuss some power usage- how this could offset some of the costs and [decrease our dependence] on the grid.”
Many of the residents questioned just how much the city would benefit from the plan, especially given Wisconsin has less-than-perfect conditions for solar energy during December, January, and February. Lindman admitted that projects such as this are “no brainers” in the southwest because of the consistent daylight. However, the current proposal falls just short of powering the plant on its own because of the lack of direct sunlight in winter.
Another resident was concerned about how many trees would be removed to make way for the proposal, saying he didn’t want to lose that in exchange for a facility run by the city.
Lindman says all of those opinions are exactly what he wants to hear because as of today there’s still no guarantee that the project will even happen and everything remains fluid. “We want them to be able to ask questions, and we also want the general public to be able to ask us questions about the viability of this and where we’re at.”
Numbers are still rough but as it stands the array could cost up to $2 million. Lindman says they are exploring all funding options including grants, a partnership with WPS or WPS ownership of the array, and money included in either the proposed infrastructure bill or stimulus funds. He says if possible they’d like the cost of the project to not be passed on to water customers, who have already seen hikes in rates to help pay for the new treatment plants. “That’s what we are trying to avoid, and that’s why we are still looking at those numbers. Right now it looks fairly neutral, whether we did it or we didn’t, but that’s with some assumptions that we are trying to clear up.
Residents attend a public information session regarding a proposed solar array on Bugbee Ave. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
Lindman says they are also running numbers on the facilities’ power usage during peak times to see if there are ways to optimize performance. The utility would also sell any excess power back to WPS during peak production times, but Lindman says the buyback rates are currently low so they don’t see that being a moneymaker for the utility.
Input from Tuesday’s session along with any comments received via email will be reviewed by the Wausau Water Works commission in early September. Another input session will be held in the next six to eight weeks, though an exact date has not been set. Lindman says that’s also when he expects to have more concrete numbers for funding and the viability of the proposal.
