Dayton could save millions with solar arrays at closed golf courses, study finds

The closed Kittyhawk Golf Center on Wagner Ford Road across from Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway. A new feasibility study found that Dayton potentially could see millions of dollars in electric cost savings over time by installing solar panels at its closed golf courses. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The closed Kittyhawk Golf Center on Wagner Ford Road across from Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway. A new feasibility study found that Dayton potentially could see millions of dollars in electric cost savings over time by installing solar panels at its closed golf courses. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Energy prices are rising and a new feasibility study says Dayton potentially could see millions of dollars in electric cost savings over time by installing solar panels at one or both of its closed golf facilities.

“Energy prices have gone up so drastically that solar is looking better and better,” said Meg Maloney, a city of Dayton sustainability.

Meg Maloney, a sustainability specialist with the city of Dayton, speaks at a city commission meeting about energy aggregation. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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A recently released study by Go Sustainable Energy LLC found that the city possibly could save between $35,000 to $230,000 per year by installing solar panels at the closed Kittyhawk Golf Center in northeast Dayton.

The study estimated that a solar array at the golf property could offset about 30% of the electricity used by the nearby Dayton Miami Water Treatment Plant on Chuck Wagner Lane.

The lifetime energy cost savings of the solar panels could be as much as $5.8 million or more, depending on future electric costs, according to the study.

Solar panels can last 25 to 35 years, city staff said.

The study also determined that solar panels at Madden Golf Course in southwest Dayton could offset more than one-quarter of the electric costs of the nearby Water Reclamation Plant at 2800 Gutherie Road.

The closed Madden Golf Course on Nicholas Road. A new feasibility study found that Dayton potentially could see millions of dollars in electric cost savings over time by installing solar panels at its closed golf courses. JIM NOELKER/STAFFJIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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Credit: JIM NOELKER

The annual savings could be between $30,000 to $270,000, which means the array’s lifetime cost savings could be as much $6.7 million, the study said.

Dayton announced in May 2020 that it was shutting down Kittyhawk and Madden golf facilities for financial reasons.

The city decided to continue operating Community Golf Course in Kettering, which was its most popular golf property.

Players at Community Golf Club, which is the city of Dayton's only remaining golf course, after it closed Kitty Hawk Golf Center and Madden Golf Course. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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The Kittyhawk property cannot be redeveloped except into passive recreational uses because it is in a sensitive water wellfield area, said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.

“Solar is a perfect use there,” she said.

Many people think Madden has redevelopment potential, and Dickstein said its future reuse is still being studied.

Golf’s popularity soared during the pandemic, and some community members have they would like to see Madden become a golf course again.

But other community members would prefer different types of redevelopment.

An outside golf consultant said Madden was the city’s most troubled golf course because it is in a challenging location and did not generate significant revenue.

The 179-acre golf course is near the wastewater treatment plant, which emits stinky odors.

Kittyhawk spans more than 400 acres, but a solar array at the property probably only would cover 20 to 40 acres, Maloney said.

The size of the array would be based on the water plant’s size and electric consumption, she said.

Meg Maloney, Dayton sustainability specialist, at an environmental advisory board meeting. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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The city would expect a developer to build the array and enter into a power purchase agreement, Maloney said.

Under this type of deal, the developer would engineer, finance, construct, operate and maintain the solar project and charge the city based on electricity the system produces, the study says.

Maloney said there is a significant amount of federal funds and incentives available right now for municipal renewable energy projects.

Also, solar panel prices have been dropping, she said, and Go Sustainable’s analysis occurred before energy prices skyrocketed, which provides even more incentive to go green.

A feasibility study is just the first step in the solar project process, and the next one would be to engage the market, said Go Sustainable.

Go Sustainable recommended Dayton determine its project priorities, based on sustainability goals, and decide whether to move forward with a request for proposals for a power purchase agreement.

Engaging the market could take eight to 12 months if the city wishes to proceed, the organization said.

Large-scale solar projects are far more complicated than smaller residential projects, because of charges and riders and other considerations, Maloney said.

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