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Hopkinton council awards rooftop solar contract for Public Works building
Summary
The Hopkinton Town Council voted unanimously to award a bid for rooftop solar at the Public Works building to Soul Power for $153,282, with the town covering a net cost of about $66,645 after federal and state incentives; the project is expected to pay down its loan within seven years and produce more electricity than the facility consumes.
The Hopkinton Town Council on Sept. 2 voted unanimously to award a contract to Soul Power to install rooftop solar panels at the town's Public Works building for $153,282.
Town Manager Brian Raso told the council the town previously secured a loan through the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to fund solar installations at Public Works and the police department. He said grants and tax credits reduce the town's share: "out of that $153,000, we're going to have $45,985 for tax credit and $40,006.52 for a Rhode Island energy fund grant. So it's really only costing us $66,645," Raso said.
Raso said the project is expected to generate 135% of the Public Works building's electricity needs, producing a net credit that can be applied to other municipal bills. He told the council the loan's debt service will be paid off in seven years and that the town should see net savings in year one: "we're already gonna see a net positive right on year 1 because we're gonna save more in electrical cost than we pay in debt service." The town manager also said the loan covers required roof work and system tie-in costs.
Resident Ron Perlowitz asked whether excess production would be credited in kilowatt-hours or dollars; Raso said the overage is credited as a dollar credit toward municipal bills.
Council members asked about warranties and contingencies; Raso said panel warranties run about 20'25 years, inverter warranties are similar, labor and installation warranties vary (installation five years, some labor coverage up to 10 years), and that the loan structure was evaluated to ensure net positive savings.
The council voted, with the roll call recorded as "James, aye; Davis, aye; Roy, aye; Burns, aye; Gary, aye," approving the award to Soul Power and moving the project forward.
The town manager said engineers had reviewed net benefits as part of the loan process and that the project will be financed by the previously approved Infrastructure Bank loan.
The rooftop solar award follows earlier bids for the same project; Raso said the council received two responsive bids and selected the lower-priced bidder after reviewing warranties, prior performance and total cost.
The council did not set a separate contingency line for the contract because it was presented as a hard bid. Raso said the new roof recently installed at Public Works was done with the solar project in mind and that the loan covers that roof work as well.
Council approval means the town will proceed with contract execution and scheduling the installation. Questions the council requested follow-up on included the total loan amount (not specified at the meeting) and confirmation of National Grid tie-in costs, which Raso said are included in the project total.
