The Warren Sentinel

August 27, 2009

Town discusses possible green energy solution

By: Karina Gianola

FRONT ROYAL — The town council is considering a proposal that would bring a large-scale solar energy facility to the town.

At a June 15 council work session, Willie Lauterbach presented an option that would bring a 150-acre solar field to Front Royal. His company, SolAVerde, would manufacture the solar panels, install them, and then generate energy to sell to the town. The goal, he said, is to make the town energy independent.

In both the short and long term, Lauterbach said, the goal would be to generate affordable power for the town. Anything generated above what the town needs, he added, could be sold back to the market. Eventually, the resale could create its own revenue stream.

Lauterbach also said he has investors lined up for the project, so Front Royal would not have to finance any part of it. The town’s only role, he said, would be to buy the power and pay for periodic maintenance. Building the facility, as well as running it, would be done locally, creating jobs and bringing money to the community.

Town Manager Mike Graham said that if the project went ahead, it would likely be the largest solar field on the East Coast.

“They have raised enough money to build this facility,” Graham said. “We would buy our power from them at a lower rate. With the way the investment is set up, we could get money back.”

Director of Energy Resource Management Joe Waltz said that conceptually, the project is a good idea. Everyone, he said, wants green, renewable energy. But figuring out the logistics — like how the project would connect to the town’s energy grid — needs to be a priority.

“The devil is in the details,” he said. “Solar energy is good to have in our inventory, but we need to do our due diligence.”

Lauterbach agreed. How the town goes selling off their extra power, or processing a potential 70 megawatts of electricity through a system currently processing 42, are questions he said need to be answered. But they will be, he added.

“We’re doing this for the benefit of Front Royal,” Lauterbach said. “[The project] is intended to be for the long term. It will be a cost advantage over time, because the prices aren’t going to go up.”