The Board of Selectmen (BOS) approved the authorization of a solar array lease contract offered by the Hartford-based solar company Verogy on March 9.

Talks for the construction began in July 2021. The project will be constructed by Verogy on the unfilled landfill on town property between the Transfer Station and Town Garage, with an expected time frame of one year for completion, according to First Selectman Angus McDonald.

“[Verogy] had the best proposal,” he said. “We received four proposals and their’s was the best. We were able to negotiate a contract that satisfied both us and them.”

Under the lease, Verogy will pay the town $43,001 annually for the next 20 years, with no additional cost to the town. The lease payment was calculated in lieu of credits that would offset electric bills of the five greatest energy users in town, including the Water Pollution Control Authority, Deep River Elementary School, and the library.

McDonald noted that discounting the cost of electricity is not a guarantee, as that relief is based on the amount of energy produced, which can vary according to factors such changing seasons, adverse weather, and degradation of solar panels over time. The BOS instead worked out the fixed lease cost with Verogy, which will funnel the $43,001 into the town’s fund for the next 20 years as Verogy operates on the landfill.