Solar panels proposed for Waynesville town facilities
An artist’s conception of solar panels on the roof of the Waynesville Recreation Center shows areas with higher (yellow) and lower (red) levels of solar irradiance. Rhino Renewables Solar & Electric illustration
Two members of Waynesville’s Town Council, Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter, have come forward with a bold proposal that could save the town thousands of dollars over decades if they can find a way to pay for it.
“Several years ago, [Council Member] Julia [Freeman], the mayor and I were on the board when we took a stand and said Waynesville is going to do its part to achieve the goal of 100% renewable energy sources in the state of North Carolina by 2050,” Feichter said during a March 21 Town Council budget retreat. “I would have a hard time coming up with projects that the Town of Waynesville has done in furtherance of that goal. This is one big way that we can do that, and that’s important — that we took a stand and said we’re going to do our part. Waynesville needs to lead in this area, and we can, and we can do it in such a way that is not going to break the budget.”
Feichter’s comments came as Dickson was presenting an ambitious plan to outfit the Waynesville Recreation Center and the town’s public works building with solar panels.
According to Dickson’s presentation, prepared by Asheville-based Rhino Renewables Solar & Electric, the system at the rec center would cost $588,000 before a federal solar incentive tax credit estimated at $177,000, leaving the net system cost at $411,835. The system would generate nearly 60% of the energy used at the rec center.
Currently, the monthly utility bill at the rec center is about $6,500, but with the system installed, it would drop to about $3,300. The annual savings of $38,000 a year means the project will have paid for itself in less than 11 years. With an estimated lifespan of 25 years or more, total savings after payoff would be more than $500,000; however, as energy costs increase over the coming years, that number could end up closer to $750,000.
Dickson added that by including a battery storage system, they’d also be hardening the rec center’s power supply, which would have come in handy when Hurricane Helene devastated local infrastructure in 2024.
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“The idea is to make the rec center here a resiliency hub so in the event of future disasters, power outages, this would be an area for people to come together,” he said.
One complication, though, is that the rec center will need a new roof in five years, so the only way to implement the solar system is to do the roof first. That would add about $100,000 to the project cost.
For the public works building, which is much smaller than the rec center, a solar system would produce savings on an appropriate scale.
The total system cost is estimated at $160,000, but an estimated $48,000 federal tax credit would bring it down to about $112,000. The public works building’s $912 monthly power bill would drop to about $268, saving about $7,700 a year. At that rate, the project would be paid off in less than 15 years. Again, estimating a 25-year lifespan, total savings after payoff could approach $80,000.
Together, the two systems including the new roof at the rec center would cost around $625,000 after tax credits and turn a profit of $600,000 to $900,000 after payoff, through 2050. The systems would also prevent the release of almost 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide that contributes to human-caused climate change.
“So, how can we pay for it?” Dickson offered rhetorically.
Nonprofit small business lender Mountain BizWorks, Dickson said, is currently offering 10-year loans at 2.9%. If the town financed the rec center’s $412,000 project cost, the monthly payment would be $3,960 a month. But, the town would be saving $3,200 a month in electric bills, leaving the net cost of the loan around $760 a month. On similar terms, financing the roof — which will be needed soon anyway — would add $961 to the total monthly outlay.
Council Member Anthony Sutton, an early adopter of solar and electric vehicle technology, was enthusiastic about the proposal but warned that the savings were not a guarantee and that the tax credits could vanish at any time.
“I’m excited about solar … but I am very cautious, and I think that we need to do a lot of due diligence,” Sutton said.
The possibility of starting with just the public works building was mentioned as what Town Manager Rob Hites called “a great demonstration project” — and, much more manageable financially — but Dickson offered a motion directing the Town to perform the diligence Sutton asked for, and prepare RFPs for both projects.
“We’re not going to be looking at writing checks right away,” said Feichter, who seconded Dickson’s motion. “We just want to be able to move forward and take steps so that if we get to the point where we have certainty about the 30% tax credit that we’re going to be in position move forward fairly quickly.”
Sutton and Mayor Gary Caldwell voted for the motion, with Freeman offering the only opposition.
Freeman later explained to The Smoky Mountain News that while she supports the idea of saving taxpayer money, any little miscalculation or change in circumstance on the solar projects could produce the opposite result.
“We’ve made commitments to our recreation department and our fire department that have not been fulfilled, so in tight budget year,” she said, “we need to focus what’s already on the table.”
