The Village of Montrose sewage treatment plant looks like any other sewage treatment plant from a distance.
However, a closer look reveals 160 solar panels set up a short distance from the entrance of the plant. The solar panels produce the energy needed to run the sewage treatment plant.
The Village of Montrose began constructing its new sewage treatment plant in August 2017 after a four-year wait for grant money to start the project. The previous plant was built in 1985 and could not filter out the ammonia, said Montrose Village President Carolyn Jansen. The new plant went online in June 2018.
The village received grants from the U.S Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The total cost to build the new plant was $1.2 million.
Shortly after turning operations over from the old plant to the new one, the village received power bills that were three times the amount they had for the old plant. Jansen said the village looked into alternate methods of producing energy for the plant, including wind power.
“We found out that wind turbines don’t produce as much energy as solar,” she said.
With $64,000 left over from the USDA grant, the village contacted Tick Tock Energy about installing solar panels. The solar panels needed cost $70,000 and were turned on last winter. Since then, the power bill has almost gone back to the amount it was prior to the new plant going online at about $300 a month.
“We’re happy that we came across that money left over and had a smart way to use it,” Jansen said.
The solar panels have two control panels, which need an internet connection to operate. A cell tower in the village provides the internet connection. The control panels allow the village and the state to see how much power the solar panels are producing. Jansen said within five years the system will have paid for itself.
“Treating water and sewer is not cheap,” she said.
