County looks to the sky for energy savings

Three of the Ozaukee County-owned buildings in Port Washington are powered with the help of the sun’s rays, now that solar panels have been installed on their roofs.

The panels have been installed atop the county Administrative Center, 121 W. Main St. in downtown Port, the Highway Department building at 410 S. Spring St. and the Justice Center at 1201 S. Spring St, generating 98, 70 and 166 kilowatts of electricity, respectively.

The panels will offset about 5.6% of the county’s electrical use, eliminating about 277 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The three arrays were installed at a cost of about $708,000, with $400,000 coming from the county capital projects fund; $213,000 in federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act’s “Elective Pay” provision, which allows municipalities, including counties, to be eligible for a 30% tax credit; and $95,000 from the state’s Focus on Energy’s renewable energy incentive program.

The County Board approved the project  in early 2024.

The county will accrue electrical cost savings of approximately $40,000 annually, officials say, allowing the county to recover its initial $400,000 investment in 10 years.

Over the 25-year warrantied life of the system, the county will accrue $1 million in savings, a gain of $600,000, and a return on investment of 250%.

Historically, local governments have not been eligible for federal tax credits but that changed with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, county Policy and Budget Analyst Jason Wittek said.

The solar arrays are relatively unobtrusive because they are flatter than many other solar panels.