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County told feasibility could cost in the low hundreds of millions; federal tax credits may cover 40–50%
Summary
Trane told supervisors the Flash microgrid capital range is preliminary and large; the contractor said transferable tax credits and accelerated depreciation under the Inflation Reduction Act could cover roughly 40–50% of costs, but feasibility work will firm up figures.
Michael Day of Trane told the Lake County Board that the preliminary capital estimate for the Flash microgrid falls in a high range and that the feasibility study will refine costs. During the meeting he described the capital figure as a broad range and emphasized that the numbers are preliminary.
Day also cited federal incentives as a major factor in project feasibility, saying the Inflation Reduction Act’s transferable tax credits and accelerated depreciation 'would be paid for by the federal government' at an estimated 40–50% cost share for projects that include energy storage. He warned that some solar tax credits had timing limits but that the energy storage incentives extend longer.
Public commenters pressed elected officials to clarify who would financially benefit and whether the county could be on the hook if the project did not proceed. The board discussed prior grant negotiations in which clawback language had been removed after advocacy; staff said current grant terms fund predevelopment work only and do not obligate the county to construction funding.
Supervisors asked for more public financial briefings during the feasibility period to explain where county risk and benefits would fall and to show how constituents might share in any returns.
