The Dayton City Commission recently approved a solar power purchase agreement with IGS Energy for a five-megawatt solar project just south of the former Kittyhawk Golf Course.
The 25-acre solar array will be constructed on a brownfield site that was once home to a Sherwin-Williams paint warehouse that was destroyed by fire in 1987, which posed a major contamination threat to the local drinking water supply.
The site at 3671 Dayton Park Drive is now an empty field between two other industrial buildings, a few hundred yards north of the Great Miami River. The city will put solar panels there, and on a second parcel directly across the street on the north side of Dayton Park Drive.
The city’s Miami water treatment plant is just north of those sites, at 3210 Chuck Wagner Lane.
Credit: Eddie Roberts
Credit: Eddie Roberts
City documents say this solar project — which is the city’s first array — could save Dayton and water ratepayers roughly $4 million over 30 years. The solar installation is expected to pay for itself within three to five years of operation.
This project should produce enough electricity that it could power more than 780 homes every year, said Meg Maloney, Dayton’s sustainability manager.
The array could offset more than 6,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
Construction should begin in early 2026 and be finished by year’s end. The project is the result of four years of planning and work.
The city estimates that this installation will cover more than one-third (about 38%) of the electricity needs of the water treatment plant, producing an annual savings of about $125,000.
The city also plans to install solar panels at its new police station on West Third Street in West Dayton and hopes to pursue a solar project at the Dayton International Airport, Maloney said.
She said a solar feasibility study recommends an array between three to five megawatts that covers 15 to 25 acres at the airport. This could save the airport between $500,000 and $2 million in energy costs over 25 years.
A solar project at the new west patrol police station that’s under construction could offset more than two-thirds of the facility’s energy consumption.
Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild said installing solar panels is good for the environment and the city’s finances.
City officials say this is just the latest investment and project to promote sustainability and produce revenue that helps reduce overhead costs.
Dayton is one of only two municipalities in the nation that have lime reclamation facilities (kilns), which generate revenue by selling excess lime to water utilities, city officials say. The city also plans to sell biogas from its wastewater treatment facility.
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