The concerns of West Windsor residents were addressed by #b#Mercer County Community College President Patricia C. Donohue#/b# in a letter to Mayor Hsueh dated Tuesday, May 15.
1.) From what materials are the panels made? Do they contain cadmium?
The solar panels are manufactured primarily from glass, silicon, copper and aluminum. These materials are non-hazardous, non-toxic and non-polluting. The solar panels do not contain cadmium.
2.) Will the solar PV system have any effect upon groundwater contamination?
The solar PV system will have no effect upon any existing groundwater contamination conditions.
3.) Will the solar PV system cause flooding or change the water flow patterns in the area?
The solar PV system will have no effect upon flooding, wetlands, and water runoff volume or water runoff patterns. The system is subject to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) criteria and standards, including wetlands impact and storm-water impact. Soil hydrology studies have been performed to verify this.
4.) Will herbicides be used to remove existing vegetation prior to construction, or will they subsequently be used to manage vegetation growth?
No, herbicides will not be used in either case. The solar PV array is designed to allow the entire array area to be mown on a periodic basis in order to control vegetation growth within the array fence-line.
5.) Is the system safe?
The system is designed, and will be built, in full accordance with the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC). Key elements of the IBC include compliance with the National Electrical Code (NEC) and ASCE-7. The NEC specifies the minimum electrical design and construction requirements of this system, and ASCE-7 specifies the minimum civil engineering design and construction requirements of the system. The ASCE-7 engineering design and construction requirements address the maximum expected wind loads, seismic loads, and snow loads for the locality.
The system components are designed and tested for compliance with all applicable codes and standards. These include Underwriter’ s Laboratories (UL), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the American Society for the Testing of Materials (ASTM).
6.) Will the system catch fire?
No. The system is designed, and will be constructed, in full accordance with the requirements of the National Electrical Code, a publication of the National Fire Protection Association. The system will be constructed by the highly skilled New Jersey local union labor force, and construction and installation quality control will be performed at multiple levels including by MasTec Renewables Construction Company, the Sunlight General Capital, Mercer County Improvement Authority and its Construction Manager (BSG), PSE& G, and the Township of West Windsor.
In addition to their existing knowledge and experience with electrical and solar PV system emergency response practices, the local fire departments will be trained in the layout, operation and specific details of this particular solar PV system.
7.) Is the system noisy?
Solar panels are silent in operation. The inverters generate low noise levels during daylight hours when in operation, the sound level being analogous to the noise emitted by a modern automobile when standing still and with the engine idling. This sound cannot generally be heard beyond a distance of 30 feet from the inverter. The inverters are silent at night. The inverters, which are distributed around the site, have been located at least 150 feet from all neighboring residences.
8.) What will be planted under the panels?
A State (Mercer County Soils Conservation District) specified and approved seed mix will be planted underneath the panels. This is tailored to the full-shade/ partial- shade conditions encountered in these areas.
9.) Will the land be permanently damaged by the PV system?
A construction plan has been developed with, and approved by, the Mercer County Soils Conservation District. This construction plan is designed to prevent soils compaction and topsoil/subsoil co-mingling. Following construction and vegetation planting, the condition of the array site will actually be better than its present post-farmed condition.
10. Will farmland be eradicated to build the solar project?
This property is not currently being used as farmland, and was never planned to be used as farmland by the College or the College’s Master Plan.
11.) Why not install the system on college rooftops?
All of the rooftops within the college have been fully reviewed for their solar PV system viability. In each and every case the roofs are either small, highly shaded due to differing roof heights and other rooftop equipment, heavily obstructed with rooftop HVAC and communications equipment, too old, not sufficiently strong to support additional equipment, or a combination of several of these factors.
12.) Why not install the system on college parking lots?
The college’s parking lots are not suitable for the installation of a solar PV system. The parking lots are not oriented appropriately for solar PV electricity production.
13.) What type of screening will be implemented for the Project? Discussions concerning vegetative screening along Old Trenton Road have been had with West Windsor Township’ s Director of Community Development (M. Patricia Ward) and Landscape Architect (Dan Dobromilsky). Additional discussions will be held directly with individual residents concerning screening of individual properties. It is anticipated that West Windsor officials will attend these meetings along with members of the project team.
14.) Is the land zoned for this use?
Yes, the land is zoned for educational use and the solar PV system serving only college operations and instructional programs is a valid primary use for that land under this zoning distinction.
15.) What will the system look like?
An 8-foot high fence will surround the solar PV array site. At this time, it is anticipated that an evergreen arborvitae screening hedge will be planted in areas where the fence-line is adjacent to a neighboring domestic residence, which will block the view of both the fence and the solar PV array from those residences. Final details of the screening will be discussed with the residents and the West Windsor Landscape Architect.
16.) Will deer be able to get into the array site?
The fence height is designed to minimize the chances of deer entering the array site. This is in accordance with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center guidelines for white-tailed deer.
17.) Will the solar array cause more deer to be killed by traffic?
The solar array site does not present a barrier to deer movement in the area, and the solar array fence- line does not border any roadways. Deer can walk near the array fence-line without being forced onto or near to active public roadways.
18.) Will there be any affected endangered or threatened species?
The DEP confirmed there will be no endangered or threatened species affected by the system.
19.) Will the solar PV system be monitored for under-performance and damage?
Yes, the solar array is continuously monitored for under-performance and damage using an on-site monitoring system that communicates information via the internet. Additionally, the array will be subject to an ongoing inspection and maintenance regime. This regime includes: System inspections, including a visual inspection of each panel in the array. Electrical and mechanical tests, inspections and maintenance Site maintenance, including vegetation management
20.) Will the solar PV system cause an adverse impact on vehicle traffic in the area?
No. When in operation, the only traffic will result from the periodic visit by site maintenance and inspection teams. Typically there will up to six people on site for a total of approximately eight weeks per year (generally four two-week visits). During construction, there will be up to 100 people working at the array site and they will access the site using access roads from MCCC parking lots. Nearby roads such as South Post Road will not be used for construction access or transportation needs for the project. The construction duration will be approximately three to four months, with fewer workers at the start and end of construction. The project has been approved by the Mercer County Planning Board, the authority with jurisdiction as pertains to vehicle traffic.
21.) Have federal funds been received for this project?
Most qualified, fully-constructed solar projects receive federal support under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including this Project.
With the project now slated to get underway in June and have construction continue throughout the summer, MCCC includeded facts and figures to clarify any misconceptions.
— The project will occupy 45 acres of a 67-acre parcel of land belonging to the college.
— The project size will be eight megawatts, producing an amount of electricity that could power 850 homes a year. This amount of energy would offset 70 percent of the college’s annual electricity usage.
– All the electricity generated by the project will be supplied directly to MCCC.
– The project will be “net-metered” meaning that the solar field will supply electricity to MCCC at a connection point behind the college’s PSE&G utility electricity meter.
– The project will not be selling wholesale electricity to the electric grid. All solar projects in New Jersey utilize net-metering, and net-metering laws prohibit a project from generating more electricity than the host facility can utilize on an annual basis.
#b#Finally, Donohue provided a word on the lease agreement with SunLight General Mercer Solar#/b#: “The ownership of the project has been structured as a lease-purchase transaction. The MCIA is the title owner of the project under state law. The MCIA and MCCC have entered into a 15-year lease with Sunlight General. The lease transfers all benefits and burdens of ownership to SunLight General, including the right to sell energy to MCCC. SunLight General is able to offer energy from the project to MCCC at a rate of 3 cents per kilowatt hour as opposed to the 14 cents per kilowatt hour that MCCC now pays to its utility, PSE& G.”
