In 1898 Lansdale Borough purchased the first power plant that would become Lansdale Electric. This decision was a critical shift for our community and has helped build Lansdale into what it is today. However, after decades of use the power demand was too high for our local coal fired plant and we entered into a service agreement with PECO. At the time, that was the right decision. But technology changes, the community changes, and what wasn’t possible in the 70s is possible now.
Over the last several months Lansdale Borough’s energy consultant Blue Sky Power has been working diligently to review and analyze the opportunities the community may have to increase both green and locally generated power to become more independent and gain flexibility as an electric service provider. Their review plays an important part in finding opportunities for Lansdale Electric to adapt, grow, and improve for all the residents of our community.
As I have noted in previous musings, the opportunities that exist by generating local power are substantial. They range from cost savings on transfer fees (while needing to generate less power due to decreased line loss) to helping bring down our peak usage rate for the whole community. Coupled with local generation is the possibility to generate our own, true, green power that benefits everyone in Lansdale — not just those who can afford to put solar panels on their home.
As this report is nearing its completion, I am excited to share some of the topline findings that Blue Sky Power has identified for us and how those opportunities can help move Lansdale from 0% locally generated green power to, potentially, over 40% being generated here in our own community.
Public Buildings & Land Development for Solar Use
Obviously, one of the best places for the community to generate more local power is to fully utilize the roof and available space we already own. Throughout the review Blue Sky was able to identify several locations across the borough where significant solar generation would be possible. Most locations, like parks, were removed (or never considered) because we want to maintain green space in the borough. However, the remaining open spaces hold the opportunity to generate nearly 10% of our peak generation needs (or around 2,586 kw). The payback on the investment for this work would vary by project. However, all projects reach payback on their investment within 25 years with some reaching maturation within 10 years.
Private/Public Partnerships
Working closely with the business owners is not a new concept in Lansdale. As an electric provider we have always worked closely with them to help identify ways we can better serve the businesses of our community and how we can all work together keep their investment in our community. Working with business owners it is estimated that an additional 30% or more of our peak generation needs (or around 10,000 kw). Partnership like this would be mutually beneficial for business owners as they would be decreasing their operating costs while leasing roof space/land space to the borough for power generation needs.
Peak Shavers Using Traditional Fossil Fuels
Peak shaving programs exist to help decrease the load the community is drawing on the electrical grid. Peak shavers, usually run-on diesel, are run on days when peak use is anticipated in the community. This is usually around five days a year and is typically seen in the July/August timeframe. Electrical rates are based on our peak usage numbers. The lower we can drive peak usage the better our rates will be in our purchase power agreements with NextEra and AMP (our current providers). The purchase of peak systems is offset by decreasing rates as they blunt the peak spikes in the summer months. Additionally, peak system power generation can be sold into the power grid when asked by other power providers. Between both options, payback for peak systems could be paid back in as little as 10 years. While these systems are not green power. They create the opportunity to generate cost savings for the community while also generating power locally and giving us more control over our generation needs.
Ultimately, there are many conversations to come about this review and how we might move forward with a comprehensive power generation plan for Lansdale. However, this is a huge step forward and helps us have substantive conversations, grounded in facts and realities, about how we can adapt the community through locally generated and green power. I cannot say this enough, to improve our electric service from 0% locally generated to 40% would be an incredible step forward for Lansdale and would be a returning to our root’s moment for our community. Finally, it has the potential to pave the way to a world where 100% of our power is generated in (or near) Lansdale and be truly green power, which is just an incredible idea that would move from an impossibility to something we could absolutely achieve in our lifetime.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Local Delta Variant Update
Mayoral Musings: Lansdale Population Leapfrogs Hatfield, Towamencin Townships in 2020 Census
Mayoral Musings: A Look at How a ‘Vacancy Tax’ Could Benefit Lansdale
Mayoral Musings: 2021 Lansdale Mardi Gras Parade
Mayoral Musings: Street Hoops And Traffic
