Over the last several years, as many of you know, I have spent a reasonable number of my writings on solving a growing challenge in our community: the cost of electric power in the borough. Currently, electric rates are in-line or even below PPL and PECO. That is because in our purchase power agreement we have locked in rates for an extended number of years and have capped the price we can be charged for power. However, what is not capped in that agreement, and never will be, is the cost of transmitting power into the borough.
Transmission fees make up about 30% to 40% of our total cost of purchasing power each year and continue to climb dramatically. In 2021, I wrote comprehensively about this challenge and it kickstarted a robust conversation in council about how to best address the growing cost of transmission fees. The answer is simple: We must become more energy independent by generating more power locally so that we pay less for both power itself and what it takes to get here. As noted in my prior musing, “If we were able to decrease power costs by 5%, our average price for power would drop from around $50/MWh to around $46MWh. Between decreasing transfer costs and power loss, Lansdale would be able to dedicate more resident funds to projects that directly benefit them and the community.”
To be clear, this is a financial problem that has a green energy solution and not a desire to simply “be environmentally friendly.” Solar power is the obvious, lowest impact, longest yield, power generation option available to a dense community within the suburbs of Philadelphia.
So, why Willow Street Park?
The first and most important reason has to do with where the high voltage distribution lines are. We cannot hook commercial solar panels up to the average power line. They must be distribution lines that are able to immediately distribute the power. Conveniently, the distribution lines are located at the entrance to Willow Street Park. We would be able to generate power and immediately feed it into the grid without the cost of building a higher voltage line.
The second reason is that Willow Street Park is an open space already. There are not many trees in the park that would have to be removed. This lack of trees, and a nearby creek, has led to a persistently wet space that has become underutilized by much of our community. Certainly, planting trees would likely help make the park more useful, but it would not solve our power generation issue. As you might suspect, Lansdale’s carbon footprint is larger than most, precisely because we buy power. Planting trees, while certainly a worthy cause for any community, is not going to offset the power we buy every year. Utilizing the space for generating real green electrons will go much further in decreasing our carbon impact than planting trees could ever do, while also helping our financial problem with transmission fees.
Finally, the size of the space itself is large enough to house the commercial solar panels that we need. Willow Street Park is around 3.5 acres, which will allow us to give each panel the necessary space to maximize power generation while also allowing for us to find ways to utilize the space around the panels to enhance the over aesthetic of the area. The size of the park is important not just for today, but for the future as well. It is important to think four dimensionally about these projects, because as technology improves, the solar capture panels will become smaller and generate more power. That means, a space that could generate one megawatt of electricity today might be able to generate twice that amount in 10 years. Dedicating a large space to this cause has an even greater impact down the road. Additionally, with the “negative” space around the panels we will be able to consider planting wildflowers and creating a bee-friendly environment to encourage a lively eco-system.
At the end of the day, there are few places in the borough that check off all these boxes. Willow Street Park is one of them and it makes sense to seriously consider power generation in that area and to make sure we do it properly for our long-term success going forward. This project is only just beginning — there are plenty of opportunities to explore new and different ideas on how to best utilize the space. However, if we want to be serious about driving down the cost of transmission fees and gaining more control over the cost of power in the borough, we need to find a way to build projects like this.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert. The views expressed are his own.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: North Penn Black History Oratorical Competition
Mayoral Musings: Annual Lansdale Police Report Preview
Mayoral Musings: Opening of Classic Game Junkie and Retroware Arcade
Mayoral Musings: Preliminary Lansdale Police Community Survey Results
Mayoral Musings: Preparing Lansdale for the Electric Vehicle Revolution
