Daleville Wants Solar Panels, But Needs To Find Funding First

The town of Daleville wants to put in a solar array to lower its energy bills.  But as IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, it needs to find funding for the project.

The plan is to add ground solar panels out at Daleville’s water company and roof panels at the current town hall, the new town hall, and the pump house at the splash pad.

That comes at an estimated cost of $415,000.  But Telamon Energy Solutions, which would install the system, says Daleville will get back $1.6 million over the life of the solar panels.  That’s as energy bills go down and the town could sell extra energy in the summer back to the energy grid.

Telamon’s Bruce Breeden says the cost to install solar panels has gone down 33 percent over the last several years, making it cost-effective for a town the size of Daleville to install.

“Systems now are warranted for 25 years and they will last for 35 years.  There’s really no maintenance with them.  We’ve had it on top of our roof at our company for 12 years now, and we’ve never touched it.”

Breeden says the town will break even with the initial cost after about a decade.

Read More: Lawmakers Aim To Standardize Laws For Wind, Solar Projects In Indiana

The Daleville Town Council voted Monday night to go forward with the solar project, contingent on finding financing.  They could pay with municipal bonds, but want to look at grant opportunities first.

Because of changes to state law, if the town installs the solar project by the end of this year, they’ll get more money when they sell extra energy back to the energy grid for the next decade.