Tioga Energy has started building work on its 3.4MW portfolio of solar systems for local government agencies in Union County, New Jersey. Under the terms of the power purchase agreements (PPA) between Tioga Energy and the county agencies, Tioga will own and operate the projects and sell the electricity generated back to the county at pre-arranged rates. The arrays will help slash the county’s electricity bill by around 50% over the next 15 years.
The portfolio is comprised of 44 PV systems, located at a variety of county-owned sites throughout the district, including firehouses, libraries and schools. Tioga’s installation partner, a joint venture between Pro-Tech Energy Solutions and Huen Electric, will take charge of engineering and construction, which has a pencilled in completion date of April 2012. Financing for the project is coming from a mixture of low-interest municipal bonds, renewable energy certificates and federal tax incentives.
“Working with Tioga Energy offers Union County tremendous value, allowing us to decrease our energy expenses and instead allocate those resources to better serve our community,” Charlotte DeFilippo, executive director of the Union County Improvement Authority, said. “In these times of tight budgets for schools and municipal services, Union County’s forward-looking solar programme helps us save money, control costs over the long-term and create jobs within the growing clean technology industry.”
“Tioga’s experience with this type of municipal project financing enabled us to tackle the complexities of this initiative that turned away other providers. We commend the Union County Improvement Authority for taking action to simultaneously reduce both the county’s carbon footprint and its electricity bills,” added Tioga’s CEO, Paul Detering. “The Tioga team is constantly working to highlight the viability of solar in any economic climate, and we’re now seeing more and more communities like Union County exploring unique financing mechanisms to bring renewable projects to life.”
