Facilities director seeks ROI analysis on $1.1M courthouse battery backup; committee asks for more data

Chad Powers, Eaton County facilities director, updated the Ways and Means Committee on capital-improvement priorities and asked commissioners to consider adding a battery-backup option to the courthouse solar project.

Powers told the committee the battery option was included as a tentative item on the bond priority list and estimated the upfront cost at roughly $1,100,000. Commissioners and staff discussed the county’s existing generator capacity—multiple generators serve jail, central dispatch and other facilities—but noted that the courthouse currently lacks full backup and that when the grid is down the solar array must disconnect for safety, eliminating any solar benefit during an outage.

Commissioner questions focused on lifecycle costs and disposal, expected battery life (staff discussed likely lifespans of 10–15 years), and payback comparisons versus adding generator capacity. Facilities staff and IT noted two additional considerations: (1) the county could qualify for a 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act if battery storage were in place by Dec. 31, and (2) Consumers Energy has programs that provide rebates or rates for facilities that can shift to generator power during emergencies.

Committee members asked staff to prepare a return report with a full return-on-investment analysis, lifetime maintenance schedule and costs, and estimates of operational disruption costs (employee overtime or closures) that would be avoided by battery backup. The committee adopted an updated project priority list and asked staff to present detailed proposals before any contract action.

What happens next: Facilities will prepare an ROI and lifecycle-cost analysis, including staffing-cost estimates for outages and options that blend generators and battery storage, and return with a formal proposal and potential grant/credit considerations.