No solar arrays will be placed
on rooftop at Richards School
NEWPORT — A 1.9 Megawatt solar energy project capable of providing the annual energy needs for all of Newport’s town and school facilities will soon take a big step forward.
The Newport School District will vote March 13 on whether to approve an article authorizing the Newport School Board to enter into a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Norwich Solar Technologies.
The project would serve the School District offices and the Town’s three schools, as well as all town-owned facilities, including the public library, airport, wastewater treatment plant, police, EMS and fire departments. If approved, this would be the largest municipal solar energy project in New Hampshire and one of the largest in New England.
There will be a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 8 at the Richards Free Library to hear details about the proposed project.
The Power Purchase Agreement allows the town and schools to buy energy created by a solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system at a discount without having to provide any capital investment for the project.
The PPA calls for the placement of solar arrays on the closed town landfill, near the Pollards Mill pump house, and on land adjacent to the wastewater treatment plant. Land sites selected for the solar arrays are either not used, under-used or currently not developable.
During a meeting of the Newport Board of Selectmen Monday night, Bert Spaulding Sr., a Newport resdident, objected to installation of a solar array on top of the flat roof at Richards Elementary School. At that meeting Spaulding said he could not support the project that included a solar array on the Richars Elementary School rooftop.
On Wednesday morning, Nowich Solar Technologies said it heard the concerns voiced by Spaulding and agreed that the array should not and will not be placed on the roof, but relocated to a ground location on private property in Newport.
A mailing that will be going out to Newport voters prior to the annual school district voting sesion Tuesday carried the following message:
“The solar company hasd agreed to NOT put the array on the roof of Richards School. This is a significant change that benefitds the town and school district. This change reverses any recommendation to vote no on Article 11. The article will still say “on the roofs” but will be amended by the “subject to engineering review and permitting” process to be ground mounted and on another site.
“This change removes all objections, leaving the town and school with all the assets and no liabilities.
A YES vote please.”
It was signed by Spaulding and Newport selectmen Jeff Kessler and Barry Connell and Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg,; school board member Tim Renner and Superintendent of Schools Cindy Gallagher.
If approved in the March 13 vote and a town vote on May 8, the solar project will begin in the summer of 2018. The town and schools will see modest, but immediate, savings at first with greater savings as energy prices rise over time. The PPA includes a provision allowing Newport the opportunity to purchase the solar arrays at a great discount in the future and own all of the power and benefits.
Norwich Solar Technologies representative Don McCormick said, “In addition to the long-term energy savings from this multi-million-dollar project provided at no cost to the town, there are the added benefits of protection from volatility in an unstable electricity market, energy independence, contributions to a clean energy economy, and educational opportunities for school STEM programs.”
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