NEWPORT — A 1.9-megawatt solar energy project capable of providing the annual energy needs for all town and school facilities will be in the hands of voters this week.
On Tuesday, the Newport School District could vote on whether to approve an article authorizing the Newport School Board to enter into a 25-year power purchase agreement with Norwich Solar Technologies.
A town vote, postponed from last week, is scheduled tonight.
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, it would be the largest municipal solar energy project in New Hampshire and one of the largest in New England.
The agreement allows the town and schools to buy energy created by a solar photovoltaic energy system at a discount without having to provide any capital investment for the project.
The agreement 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 resident, 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 town vote scheduled for May 8 was postponed until tonight because of the snowstorm.
If the project is approved, it will begin in the summer. The town and schools will see modest, but immediate, savings at first with greater savings as energy prices rise over time. The agreement includes a provision allowing Newport the opportunity to purchase the solar arrays at a 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 multimillion-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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