(WNG File Photo)
WESTFIELD – In the City Council meeting on Feb. 7, a Resolution to authorize the Mayor to enter into a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with Sunfarm Westfield LLC was referred to the Legislative & Ordinance sub-committee.
City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell said this will be the fourth solar project in Westfield, joining the Twiss St. solar cap landfill, the Cowles Pit at 219 Russellville Road, and the Green Street Power Partners (GSPP) array at 1040 Southampton Road, which held its grand opening Nov. 30.
Mitchell said the four arrays will generate a total in solar power of 11.6 Megawatts, which he said “is pretty good for a city of our size.” Twiss St. solar generates 1.8 MW, Cowles Pit, 2.5 MW; GSPP will generate an estimated 4.8 MW, and Sunfarm, 2.42 MW.
The PILOT agreement for Sunfarm Westfield that is going to the L&O committee is very similar to the one that was signed with GSPP, according to Mitchell. He said the amount the city will receive annually from Sunfarm is $12,395 per MW, for a total of $29,995 per year for the next 25 years. The agreement with GSPP is $12,800 per Megawatt.
Mitchell said the city is doing PILOT agreements with solar farms because the energy market is very volatile, and the city as well as the developers are looking for predictability on projects of this size. He said if electricity became inexpensive, the city wouldn’t get as much value from taxes. Also, because the technology is new, it’s unknown how much the solar panels are going to degrade over time. With the 25-year agreement, the solar developer and the city have a level of certainty.
Mitchell said the agreement with Sunfarm Westfield was negotiated by his office, the Mayor, the Law Department and the solar company, and will now go to the L&O committee as a Resolution. One interesting aspect of the new project is that the power will be “consumed” by the Westfield Housing Authority, Mitchell said.
The GSPP on Southampton Road is a Community Solar power project, which is seeking up to 250 Westfield residents to participate. The deadline for participation has been extended to Feb. 28. Residents who sign up will receive annual compensation of $50 to $80 from Green Street Power Partners until 2027 as part of a state incentive program. The application and more information is available at greenstreetsolarpower.com/westfield-community-solar. There is no cost to sign up to participate in the program.
