Fredonia has a proposal on the table to join the solar power push.

Siemens Energy representatives addressed the Board of Trustees Monday about a plan for a solar array on village-owned land. The village would power its operations, such as Village Hall and the Department of Public Works, with the electricity generated there.

Opening the presentation, John Parch of Siemens noted he’s been working with the village on energy efficiency issues for some time now. “Today is about us now re-reporting the solar that we looked at a couple years ago, and what that would mean today,” he said.

Siemens’ Rob Moran, a business development director, did the bulk of the speaking. “What we’re thinking about is a solar power purchase agreement” where Fredonia would get the power and Siemens would invest in the infrastructure, he said. Siemens would put solar panels within 12 acres on a 43-acre Glasgow Road plot in the town of Pomfret that the village owns. The power would be sent along National Grid lines and get billed by that entity, and the village would get a credit for the solar power. The agreement would last 25 years.

Moran said state legislation is encouraging such solar power agreements, and financial incentives are in place. “The idea here is that we’re able to do a few things. We’re able to save you some money, we’re able to provide renewable energy, and hopefully what we’re able to do is we’re able to reduce some of the grid congestion that’s going on,” he said.

The village might be able to save up to $20,000 a year under the agreement, he said.

“There’s a few things we need to go and do some more detailed engineering on,” Moran stressed. “One is the interconnection… we’re going to, of course, finalize the design once we get on site, and the system size, we’re estimating two megawatts. There’s some geotechnical work that we need to do, so that could change our cost estimates.”

Parch said Siemens is doing a similar project with Albany County but has not done anything like it with a Western New York municipality.

Mayor Douglas Essek vouched personally for solar power, noting it saved him money at his home. “I’m just stating my own personal experience and how we took advantage of solar and trying to be green and save the world here like everyone else is trying to do,” he said.

Moran said “it would take four to six weeks to firm up some numbers” and offer more details, if the village shows interest in moving ahead with the proposal. It would take about a year after a notice to proceed until the village started getting energy from the project, he added.

“We would have to have a discussion with the town of Pomfret to see if there’s any fatal flaws we’re unaware of,” and gas wells on the site must get addressed,” Moran noted.

“The decision we’re asking you is, ‘Are you interested in a solar project on this property?'” he said.

Parch promised he would talk to a Siemens engineer about how the solar project could affect nearby Cassadaga Lake.

Essek asked the board if it could come up with a decision on expressing interest in the proposal at its next meeting in two weeks, and trustees verbally agreed.