Tilton board moves to lock prices and advance multi-site solar project after consultant update

Tilton’s village board voted to advance a multi-site solar package after a consultant presentation that increased the wastewater-plant array and identified short-term risks to panel pricing.

The consultant (speaker 12) told the board the wastewater system design was bumped up and that the project’s energy and financials improved: "we added about 75 kilowatts to that system." The presentation said total project costs rose from roughly $6.3 million to about $8.05 million and estimated annual savings and a multi-year ROI that make the work pay back in the mid-single-digit years for several locations. The consultant also warned of a potential tariff on modules that could raise panel prices by about 20% within weeks, a reason the team urged the board to lock contract prices now.

Board members discussed minor contingencies — an "elite" meter the utility may require at one site, small interconnection wiring costs (estimated a few thousand dollars), and fence and clearing work at wooded arrays — then approved a motion to proceed with public-works applications and to finalize contract terms so purchase prices can be secured. The board directed staff to coordinate with the consultant on permitting, obtain the required utility approvals, and return with finalized contracts.

The consultant also provided expected energy figures, estimated first-year savings in the tens of thousands of dollars at the wastewater facility, and a 15-year projected savings figure in the hundreds of thousands to roughly a million dollars depending on scope. The board accepted the recommendation to move forward to protect the currently quoted equipment prices and to begin permit and utility interconnection steps.