Monday August 27, 2012

WILLIAMSTOWN -- The town is close to having a fourth photovoltaic system installed on a public building spanning the last 10 years.

Public Works Director Timothy Kaiser said Monday that a 9.75-kilowatt photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof of the parks and cemetery building this year, after implementation had been delayed a year because of Tropical Storm Irene.

The building is located in Eastlawn Cemetery off Main Street.

"We opted to purchase a total of 9.75 kilowatts because it was the best configuration for the building," Kaiser said. "It was the maximum build-out without having to remove a tree next to the building, which we really didn't want to remove."

Once the photovoltaic system is installed, the parks and cemetery building will join the elementary school, town garage and David and Joyce Milne Public Library as town buildings with solar power installations.

The town received three bids for the installation. The project was ultimately awarded on Aug. 23 to Fall River Electrical Associates, which submitted the lowest bid.

Companies bidding on the project were asked to submit a base bid for a 5-kilowatt system, and a bid listing the price for each additional kilowatt above five, he said. Fall River Electrical Associates submitted a base bid of $23,200, and a bid of $3,700 per additional kilowatt.

The two other companies that bid on the project were KGCI Inc. of Saugus and Berkshire

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Photovoltaic Ser vices of Adams. KGCI submitted a base bid of $32,400, and a bid of $4,200 per additional kilowatt.

Berkshire Photo voltaic Ser v ices submitted a base bid of $47,800, and a bid of $6,350 per additional kilowatt.

Kaiser said Fall River Electrical Associates has a "window of opportunity" in which it may be able to get up there in the next two weeks to put the system in. If not, it will likely be put up sometime before winter, he said.

The project's total cost is $40,775. It will be paid with funding from Massachusetts' Green Communities grant program and the state's solar rebate program, he said.

"We have $40,000 from the Green Communities grant, and also $3,900 that will come in the form or rebates from the state, he said.

Once the system becomes operational, it's expected to provide electricity to the entire parks and cemetery building with some power left over, he said.

The town will receive net-metering credits toward its accounts from the electricity that goes back into the grid, he said.

To reach Meghan Foley, email mfoley@thetranscript.com.