Sustainability committee recommends terminating troubled battery-storage project, seeks grant reimbursement

The Middleton Sustainability Committee on a voice vote recommended that Finance and Common Council terminate the city’s battery-storage project as currently defined.

Kelly, the committee’s staff reporter, told members the project team — including HGA Engineering and contractor Eagle Point Solar — had repeatedly reworked system designs but could not meet the city inspector’s code requirements for the islanded microgrid or secure automatic controls to operate the existing generator with battery and solar systems. “At this point the project team believes there’s no way forward,” Kelly said, and asked the committee to recommend termination and to pursue reimbursement from the EIGP grant for design and consulting work already completed.

Why it matters: The project sought to pair batteries and solar to provide peak shaving and an automatic backup power capability for a municipal building, but the technical integration with the existing generator proved infeasible under current code and equipment constraints. Kelly told the committee the grant totaled about $212,000 and that design and engineering costs were included in the grant; staff will document work completed to seek reimbursement to avoid a net loss to the city.

Committee members stressed the value of the design work for future projects. “That is not just lost money,” one member said, noting engineering deliverables could shorten future implementation timelines for similar projects. Committee member Kermit and Alder Schaefer led discussion about what to include in a recommendation to council so it conveys the committee’s reasons without implying the concept has no value.

Motion and vote: Alder Schaefer moved that the committee recommend to Finance and Common Council that the battery-storage project be terminated as currently defined; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The transcript records no roll-call tally. Kelly said she will present the committee’s recommendation at tomorrow’s Finance and Common Council meetings and begin work on grant-reimbursement documentation.

Next steps: The committee’s recommendation will go to Finance and Common Council for final action; staff will pursue grant reimbursement and report back on whether capital funds allocated to the project can be returned to the city’s general fund.