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Council authorizes ranking and potential contract with EGT Solar for airport solar project using DOE grant
Summary
Council approved ranking of proposals and authorized entering into a contract with EGT Solar for a solar-panel installation at the Caldwell Executive Airport funded by a Department of Energy block grant (~$119,000); councilors pressed staff on warranty length, long-term maintenance, and projected annual savings (~$4,000).
The City of Caldwell council authorized staff to rank proposals and move toward a contract with EGT Solar for a Department of Energy-funded solar installation at the Caldwell Executive Airport.
City staff told council the city received a DOE block grant and selected an airport installation as one of the qualifying projects after analyzing several municipal sites. Staff said the successful proposal from EGT Solar came in about $25,000 below the grant amount and that the project would not require use of city property-tax or sales-tax funds for the solar hardware and installation; the grant (stated by staff) is $119,000.
Councilors questioned the equipment warranty and long-term costs. Staff presented a 25-year warranty included in the vendor packet and explained that warranty performance is often prorated over time; councilors noted Idaho Power staff had suggested realistic lifespans of 10–15 years for equipment and asked how replacement costs or prorated warranties would affect taxpayers in the future. Staff acknowledged that future replacement or maintenance could create a city expense down the line if panels require replacement and said the city could seek additional grants or otherwise absorb costs from relevant capital or airport funds.
Staff estimated annual energy savings of approximately $4,000. The installation materials (panels) and design/engineering/installation were described in council comments as roughly $66,000 for panels and about $28,000 for design/installation (total about $93,000), with the remaining grant balance covering related costs; the staff presentation also said the project includes a 25-year warranty and quarterly reporting to the DOE during installation only.
On a motion by Councilor Dittenburg (seconded by Councilor Allgood), the council authorized ranking the proposal list and to proceed with contracting with EGT Solar not to exceed the bid amount. The clerk recorded the roll-call responses; the motion carried with recorded affirmative and negative responses noted on the record.
