Montville ― Construction of a 1,440-panel solar array at the town’s transfer station is expected to begin this spring now that West Hartford-based solar developer Verogy has received approval from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Verogy received site plan approval from the town for the project in August 2023 and plans to place the solar array atop a 2.4-acre portion of the capped landfill at 669 Route 163.

Construction could be completed by the end of the year, said Jenna Behan, Verogy’s marketing associate and office coordinator, last week in an email.

Verogy still needs to obtain building and electrical permits from the town. Behan said those applications have been submitted and are being reviewed.

Under the project contract, Verogy will pay the town $800,000 ― $40,000 per year for 20 years ―to lease the property. The town will get paid whether the panels are producing energy or not.

Behan said design plans have changed slightly since the site plan was approved, resulting in a different amount of energy being generated.

The new design, which will use a different type of solar panel, will produce 831,942 kilowatt hours of energy per year, which is about 100,000 kilowatt hours fewer than originally proposed.

The project will now power 78 homes, down 54 from the company’s initial estimate.

“Refinements such as this are typical and expected throughout the life cycle of any project, and result in slight varying production numbers,” Behan added.

Verogy has similar planned projects for the towns of Middletown and Deep River that would power approximately 95 and 79 homes, respectively.

d.drainville@theday.com