Sahuarita staff recommend solar array for police facility; battery backup favored over generator

Town staff presented a phased approach for the Police Department expansion that would install a solar array as part of the current phase and add a solar battery-backup system in a later phase to meet National Electric Code 708 requirements for critical operations power systems.

Project staff said the wastewater facility solar project (installed 2021) produced sizable electric savings and that a similar approach for the PD would cover roughly 85% of the building's needs through a power-purchase agreement with no initial capital cost to the town. Staff recommended the solar array be included in Phase 1 and the battery backup be procured in a subsequent phase tied to construction of the expanded facility.

The presentation compared a battery backup system (estimated at about $623,000) with a generator-based solution (estimated at about $510,000) and emphasized non-monetary trade-offs: the battery system is quieter, has lower permitting and fuel logistics requirements, avoids a 2,000-gallon onsite fuel tank and has fewer moving parts and staffing needs during an extended outage. Staff concluded that, when lifecycle operations and the operational burden of fuel storage and disposal are included, the battery backup is the recommended long-term solution.

Chief Chuck Wunder and council members asked about lifecycle costs, staffing for maintenance and how the systems would support a 72-hour continuous-operation requirement. Staff said the town would retain the existing generator to cover partial loads and provide redundancy for extended cloudy periods while batteries serve as the quieter, lower-maintenance first line of backup.

Next steps: staff will prepare contract documents and bring the solar contract and later a battery-backup contract to council for formal action.