City officials, in presenting the proposed 2026 municipal budget, have touted the continued benefit of energy savings from the solar panels the roofs of several city-owned buildings, including City Hall. Now Tosa is hoping to increase those savings by installing additional solar panels on several other city buildings, including the three fire stations.
The Wauwatosa Common Council approved the project at its Sept. 30 meeting. During an earlier committee meeting, public works officials expressed some urgency in moving forward because federal incentives for solar installations are set to expire at the end of this year.
"This request is in line with the goals of the [city's] 2020 energy resolution, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations, to receive energy from local renewable sources and act as a leader for community-wide carbon neutrality," said Megan Conway, Wauwatosa's sustainability manager.
In addition to City Hall, solar panels already are helping to power city operations at the Department of Public Works facility, the police station and the Hart Park Muellner Building. The five new locations where solar panels will be installed are the fire stations at 1601 Underwood Ave., 4184 N. Mayfair Road and 10525 W. Watertown Plank Road, the fire training building at 11100 W. Walnut Road and the parks administrative building at Hart Park.
The costs and benefits of the project are outlined in a short slide presentation that was discussed at the committee meeting and can be viewed here.
The council authorized the city to enter into a contract with the company Arch Electric for a project that costs about $585,000, though the net cost to the city after incentives will be just under $400,000.
The city expects to save $33,522 a year on its electric bills starting in the first year after installation. The largest cost if installation and greatest electricity savings will occur at the Tosa village fire station on Underwood Avenue, which will feature a 100 kW solar array. The overall savings from this project are expected to offset the cost of installation within about 17 years, and it will be covered by warranty for the first 25 years.
The new installations will bring the City of Wauwatosa to "a very notable milestone of having solar on all of our municipal facilities," Conway said at the Sept. 23 committee meeting.
Since 2017, the city estimates it has saved the city $2 million in electricity costs by reducing its usage and increasing its reliance on solar. The 2026 budget shows that the city is now paying half of what it would be paying for electricity without the solar panels.
