A new solar array next to the Fairfield Wastewater Treatment Plant on Groh land is expected to provide about 65% of the electricity to power the plant. Officials have said the city could save $2.5 million during the 30 years it is expected to be active.
Melink Solar provided city leaders a solar panel signed by all involved in the project during a ribbon cutting ceremony. City manager Scott Timmer said he may display the panel in a conference room where council-manager briefings are held in city hall.
Ninety sheep have been brought in to Fairfield’s solar farm to graze, which will keep grass and weeds low as well as fertilizing the land.
A new solar array next to the Fairfield Wastewater Treatment Plant on Groh land is expected to provide about 65% of the electricity to power the plant. Officials have said the city could save $2.5 million during the 30 years it is expected to be active.
In its first three weeks of operation Fairfield’s 5-acre, 1.5 megawatt solar farm has saved the city more than $20,000 in utility costs at the wastewater treatment plant, the highest single user of electricity in the city.
And while electricity produced by the 3,000 panels in the array won’t reduce citizen’s electric bills, it will help stabilize water and sewer rates for residents, said vice-mayor Tim Meyers.
“This is a very historic ribbon cutting. Our stance on sustainability is making the city more efficient, more effective for one reason to continue the great quality of life we have here in Fairfield,’’ Meyers said of the Groh Lane solar farm just east of the wastewater treatment plant.
“The byproduct is giving back to the environment, lower carbon costs, lower carbon emissions.”
It is the city’s first major project to come to fruition since the Fairfield Sustains plan was adopted by city council two years ago.
Melink Solar provided city leaders a solar panel signed by all involved in the project during a ribbon cutting ceremony. City manager Scott Timmer said he may display the panel in a conference room where council-manager briefings are held in city hall.
The solar farm is expected to generate two million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, removing $200,000 to $250,000 in electric costs from the city’s budget, said Adam Sackenheim, Fairfield’s assistant city manager who oversaw the project.
It is equivalent of providing electricity to 250 homes in Fairfield for 30 years, Sackenheim said of the $3 million project.
Designed and constructed by Melink Solar, the solar field is expected to pay for itself in 10 years and last 30 or more years when federal tax rebate incentives of about $1.1 million are factored in, Sackenheim said.
It will reduce the release of 36,626 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the system.
Residents can view real-time data of how much electricity is being generated and other environmental information on a live solar dashboard on its website: www.fairfield-city.org/1344/solar-array
The newest addition to the solar farm came this week when 90 sheep were brought in to graze. They will be rotated in different areas of the acreage.
Ninety sheep have been brought in to Fairfield’s solar farm to graze, which will keep grass and weeds low as well as fertilizing the land.
At first the idea was considered a joke – that is until the benefits were pointed out.
“This eliminates the need for a landscaper,’’ Sackenheim said. “There are benefits to the land – they eat the vegetation, fertilize the ground.”
A low, electric fence surrounding the panels keeps the sheep safe by deterring coyotes and other predators.
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