Cape Girardeau looking into solar options

The city of Cape Girardeau is seeking a firm to design and install solar-panel setups for 10 city-owned facilities.

Anna Kangas, plan review specialist in the development services department for the city of Cape Girardeau, said the solar panels will be photovoltaic, which means they produce electricity.

Kangas wrote the request for proposal document, which contains a list of 18 city-owned properties, of which firms will choose 10 to include in their proposals. The properties include Cape Aviation; the police station; fire stations 1, 2 and 3; Cape Splash; the public works building; parks; and community centers, among others. City hall is not on the list.

Kangas said a consultant approached the city in April asking whether officials were interested in solar power. The city chose to put the project out for bid and have consultants compete to ensure the best price.

Solar power is an renewable energy source because it relies on the sun for power. It is considered "green" energy because it does not emit greenhouse gases. A disadvantage of solar power is when the sun is not shining, power is not produced.

Kangas said the solar panels will be tied into the Ameren Missouri electricity grid. If the panels produce more electricity than is needed during the day, excess energy flows back into the grid and the facility will receive a credit on its electricity bill. Other solar panel systems can store excess energy on battery backups.

Richard Wright, managing supervisor of renewable energy for Ameren Missouri, said excess energy produced by the solar panels during the day will be used at night, when energy is being consumed. Facilities using solar panels will be "theoretically using Ameren's system as a battery," he said.

Before facilities can be approved to tie into Ameren's system, Wright said, the city would be required to inspect its wiring of the solar panels and submit a wiring inspection approval to Ameren. The city also would have to submit an electrical design that meets Ameren's safety requirements.

Depending on the facilities chosen, the panels would be mounted on the roof or on self-supporting structures, according to the proposal document.

Kangas said there are no estimates at this time of how much money will be saved once the facilities use solar electricity because the 10 facilities have not been chosen. Funding for the project also has not been defined, and will not be until a firm is chosen and a cost is estimated.

Solar panels are functional for decades, Kangas said, and will be a wise investment. Beyond the initial installation and maintenance, solar energy is free.

"I think it's setting a good example for our citizens -- showing them that there are alternatives out there. ..." she said.

Proposals will include pricing for the purchase of the solar panels by the city, or a 25-year solar lease to the city with an option for the city to buy the system at the end of the term, according to the proposal document. Each proposal should provide pricing information for relocating the solar panels if a facility is reroofed or a city department moves to another location, two displays of real-time information about the solar energy constructed in a public area, and terms of agreement, including maintenance responsibility and fees, the document says.

Kangas said a couple of firms have picked up the request for proposal document.

The deadline for proposals is Nov. 15. Kangas said the city hopes to have a firm chosen for the project by the end of the year.

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