The need to produce energy efficiency while protecting the environment is a global issue. And in lieu of rising fuel costs, the borough is taking on the fight on a local level by incorporating solar paneling on several buildings.
Multiple companies were allowed to bid for the job. First Solar won the bid and began a study to determine which borough buildings were best suited for solar paneling. The Community Center, the Fort Lee Police Department headquarters, and one the garages of the Department of Public Works were found to be the best buildings for the project. The plan is to produce less carbon emissions while lowering energy costs.
"It was an initiative of the late Mayor Jack Alter," said Joe Iannaconi, chief financial officer of the borough. "He was very passionate about this. Alter knew lots of grants, credits, and rebates were available through the Board of Public Utilities (BPU)."
Iannaconi said the project will cost $1.5 million and First Solar promised around $600,000 in rebates from the BPU and the state.
"Payback could takes nine or 10 years, but with the course energy costs have taken, it could come back sooner," Iannaconi said.
The Community Center will soon have an educational center with a kiosk to show residents how energy will be saved and produced in the Community Center. Iannaconi explained the energy is absorbed through the panels and then transferred to a power grid and distributed where it is needed. Although solar panels are not as effective in the winter, "Theoretically, hot summer days might generate enough energy to sell back electricity to PSE&G," Iannaconi said.
Iannaconi said the demand for renewable energy has so become important, there is a mandate from the state and the borough to produce a percentage of its energy through renewable sources. But the use of solar paneling is not just about saving money.
"It’s about reducing our carbon footprint," Iannaconi said.
E-mail: almenasm@northjersey.com
