BROWNSTOWN — The Brownstown Town Council continues to work toward determining the scope of a proposed project to reduce the town’s energy consumption by converting some facilities, including the wastewater treatment plant, to solar energy.

To do that, council members have been meeting with officials from energy solutions firms in an effort to hire one. That contractor will work with the town to determine the scope of work based on what’s financially feasible and then conduct the work.

During Monday’s council meeting at the town hall, they met with Brian McCormick, director of operations for PSG Energy Group in Indianapolis.

McCormick asked if the council wanted to focus on a specific site or multiple sites.

“Wastewater treatment obviously is the biggest and lift stations,” he said.

Those are the biggest users of energy for the town. The project also could include the conversion of 71 decorative streetlights to LED lighting, implementing some energy-saving projects at the town hall and possibly adding electric vehicle charging stations.

The state’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Program allows communities to do guaranteed savings projects, which can include lighting, solar and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Council President Gregg Goshorn asked McCormick if the town goal’s should be to get to net zero (no cost) or to save money.

McCormick said to be net zero would be a tall task without a battery array to capture energy in the daytime to provide for power for operations at night, especially at the wastewater treatment plant and the lift stations. The number of batteries for the arrays would have to match the capacity of the solar panels needed to power each facility, and in the case of the lift stations, the town would need to acquire land.

At a council meeting in March, Rick Anderson, business development director for Johnson-Melloh Solutions in Indianapolis, said there are three ways to finance the project: Cash, bond or third-party lease loan. Most municipalities choose the latter, he said.

The typical range for a third-party lease loan is 15 years, and a maintenance fee would be included in the cost, Anderson said.

“It’s not new money,” he said. “You’re already spending this money. It’s just spending it more efficiently and better. I’m in this industry because I really enjoy helping folks save money.”

The council also has met with officials with Veregy’s Midwest team about the project. That company is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

The council plans to discuss hiring a firm for the project at its next meeting at 6 p.m. Monday.