City of Dayton – Renewable Energy Consulting
The Need
In 2021, the City of Dayton set a goal to use 100% renewable electricity for municipal operations by 2035. The City began by exploring generating its own solar power adjacent to the Miami Water Treatment Plant and Water Reclamation Facility. Solar at these sites would produce local renewable energy and reduce the City’s carbon footprint with potential economic benefit.
The City initially hired Go to conduct a feasibility study and to advise on the next steps in the process. In 2024, the City expanded Go’s role to again explore solar feasibility, this time at the Dayton International Airport.
Visit the City of Dayton’s site for more information on Sustainability Initiatives!
Our Approach
For each site, we first analyze how the site consumes electricity and how it is billed by the electric utility. This allows us to develop a “business-as-usual” case for energy and economic performance. Next, we research, review, and document the technical, physical, and regulatory factors that would most significantly influence solar sizing, project economics, and potential project success.
Input from City stakeholders becomes critical to identifying sensible installation scenarios to model against the business-as-usual case. The City has ample area to generate renewable energy at a scale much greater than the energy used at the adjacent facilities. However, the City’s ability to offset 100% or more of each site’s energy usage is significantly limited by regulatory and economic realities such as behind-the-meter net metering limitations and the site’s capability to fully monetize complex utility-scale billing economics from capacity and transmission. Still, for each site investigated, there was an economic case for installing on-site solar generation.
The Results
In 2025, the City is amidst its solar energy implementation journey.
Miami Water Treatment Plant and Water Reclamation Facility
At the Miami Water Treatment Plant, we assisted the City in selecting a solar array that could offset about 30% of the electricity used at the site with neutral to positive economics under a third-party power purchase agreement (PPA). City stakeholders performed their due diligence by posing important clarifying questions and spending significant time understanding the complexities and opportunities found within our study.
After soliciting bids through a request for proposals (RFP), the City selected a vendor and, in the spring of 2025, the PPA contract was approved by the City commission.
Dayton Daily News coverage of the feasibility study and the approved contract!
Also, listen to our interview with the City on the podcast, Birthplace of Next: City of Dayton Radio, on these solar feasibility studies.
Dayton International Airport
At the airport, we were again able to recommend a path for solar array that could offset about 35% of the electricity used at the site with neutral to positive economics under a third-party power purchase agreement (PPA).
City stakeholders are actively considering whether to solicit pricing for this solar project.
Our Role
Renewable Energy Consultant, Technical Advisor
The Client
City of Dayton
Duration
2021-2022+
Team
Milena Walwer
Peter Worley
Tommy Tappel