WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU) — Discussion on a potential solar array is expected to take up much of Tuesday’s City Council meeting in Wisconsin Rapids.
Mayor Matt Zacher says don’t expect him to have a strong opinion either way. “I don’t really have a dog in the fight. If we don’t build it, we are in the same boat we are in. If we do, there could be some positive impacts. But we won’t really know until we do.”
The array would be donut-holed into an 80-acre wooded area already owned by the municipal power company. Zacher says the plan involves clearing out about 40 acres to make room for about 25 acres of panels. Designers have promised to keep the panels hidden from the view of nearby homes while creating a habitat for pollinators and other animals under the panels.
Panels would be motorized to follow the sun throughout the day to maximize production, but Zacher says that still won’t provide the city with all the juice it needs in a day. The city uses about 30 megawatts of power per day; the array would provide about five megawatts every 24 hours. That will only save the average residential user a couple of dollars per year; the real benefit would be to commercial or manufacturing users.
“We have some manufacturing companies in our service area, and they are going to see quite a bit of savings. So it something we would do to help the future of our community. And certainly, it doesn’t hurt to say we are harnessing the power of the sun,” added Zacher.
Hooking the system up to the city’s distribution network would cost about $100,000. The city would then save about $17 million over 30-40 years.
Tuesday’s meeting begins at 6:00 PM at City Hall. Public comment is part of the agenda.
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