ORANGE — Town Administrator Matthew Fortier said he has five prospects after a request for proposals for a solar array at the local landfill.
Fortier said he and fellow informal review committee members Pam Harty and Bruce Scherer have examined the proposals. The RFP closed to bidders on June 3.
“These are extremely detailed and technical,” he said of the proposals.
A site visit and walk-through at 100 Jones St. was held for interested respondents on May 20, and Scherer estimated it was attended by six to eight people representing four or five companies.
“The town is leasing the land,” he said. “We’ll be able to buy electricity from the company at a discount.”
Scherer explained the private company, which has yet to be selected by the town, will install solar panels on the landfill, which was capped decades ago to seal waste, prevent rainwater infiltration and isolate contaminants.
“The cap cannot be penetrated, so [the panels] are done with ballast,” he said, adding that the panels will be hundreds of feet from the nearest residence. “It’s kind of the ideal spot.”
He explained that the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District hired a company about 20 years ago to conduct a study of the most suitable landfills in the county for solar, and the one in Orange was rated the best.
“It’s had fits and starts over the years,” Scherer said. “It’s a great site because it allows us to take a parcel of town-owned property that isn’t providing anything, and it will provide something for the town once the project is constructed. So it’s turning something into an asset.”
He also said there will be a battery on site “so the facility can deliver power during the day and during the evening.”
