By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Council agreed to proceed with a solar array project that could save the city as much as $2 million over the next 25 years.

A resolution passed at the Monday meeting allows the city manager to sign a lease and purchase agreement with RER Energy Group to move the project forward. However, the project is completely dependent on a grant from NYSERDA.

“It is completely dependent on the grant,” City manager John Pinkerton said.

He said the project includes building a solar array that would be metered and used to reduce electric costs at municipal buildings. It would be located near the city landfill.

Larsen Engineering, Rochester, gave a presentation of the project at a recent meeting. The company provides planning, grant assistance and implementation of clean energy projects.

The next phase of the project would be handled RER Energy, Reading, Pa., which implements commercial energy projects.

Ogdensburg Mayor William Nelson said he supported the plan as it would reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

Nelson said the project would also be taxable and save the city substantially in energy costs.

Pinkerton estimated the project could cut costs either through savings or avoidance by as much as $2 million over 25 years, but added that the estimate was a rough figure.

He said estimating energy savings over a long time period is difficult due to price fluctuation and new technologies.