At its meeting July 15, Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority resuscitated its solar project for the Eberhart Road pumping station.

At last month’s meeting, the board was stunned at the cost of correcting soil stability conditions around the solar panel array. The elaborate support system required for the solar arrays initially put the price of the project out of reach.

Darryl Jenkins, CWSA engineer, proposed an alternate system that would cost less than $25,000 additionally. The increased difference in the payback period was outweighed by the cost to return the materials already shipped for the project.

“We have most everything here, and the ground is leveled,” Jenkins said.

The contractor awarded the job did not respond with a specific cost to return the equipment. The steel support system is stacked on site and will be protected from the weather. The existing steel will be replaced with a different engineered system.

The contracting firm indicated it will make every attempt to reuse the existing system and will credit the authority with any funds it receives for the steel. Reusing the steel on a different project will most likely bring in more revenue than just scrapping it.

The board was disappointed in the response it received from RER Energy. A restocking charge was requested at the end of the last meeting, but the full numbers were not available for the July session.

Jenkins recommended RER Energy at the start when no other contractors bid on the project.

“In my experience working with them on other projects, they provided better service than we have seen on this project,” he said.

Jenkins’ new design for the support system spreads the anticipated load over a larger footing so the total load directed at any spot on the footer is less. Jenkins indicated the supports may need to be adjusted at some point during the life of the system.

“The kind of adjustment we anticipate is minor and would be expected no matter what type of system was installed,” he said.

After a long discussion, Paul Geissinger, board member, introduced a measure to approve the project. The approval is conditioned on the costs remaining static.

In the debate, board members felt the time, material and engineering investment in the project outweighed the cost of returning the materials.

According to Jenkins, the payoff for using solar power may not be as high, but it is still a feasible alternative.

The project is scheduled to start in the fall with completion estimated in November.