Tri-town residents embrace solar, towns start on arrays

Jan 29, 2020

Solar is taking root in the Tri-Town. While some large-scale projects have prompted controversy, residents, businesses and the towns themselves are increasingly embracing solar energy.

Marion and Mattapoisett are both working on solar projects on their landfills. Mattapoisett is tackling a loophole that it feels gives businesses too much freedom. And Rochester is doing surveys for a potential array on its elementary school.

Residents are jumping on board with the solar trend as well. Although the numbers for two towns peaked in 2015, residents still pulled about 45 permits in 2019.

Rochester Selectmen have discussed projects that would put solar panels on the town barn and on the roof at Rochester Memorial School. Mattapoisett and Marion are both working toward a landfill solar project. And Mattapoisett is waiting on special solar legislation.

In Rochester, Selectmen found that the town barn project will not work because the town electrical infrastructure cannot dsupport panels in that part of town.

“You can’t just plug it in,” said Selectman Woody Hartley, to explain why the issue is complex.

Hartley said that for the other project, Selectmen and the School Committee are waiting for an inspection and report on the school’s roof to make sure the project works.

The proposed school array could meet 60% of the school’s electricity needs and avoid the emission of 5,300 tons of carbon dioxide over a 20 year contract period.

Mattapoisett does not have any solar projects currently, but passed an article at its Oct. 21 Special Town Meeting to start the lease and license agreements for a solar project on the town landfill. However, that project is not complete.

Mattapoisett is also working on legal protections around solar power. The town’s Administrator of Assessing Kathleen Costello, has delved into the trend over the last few years, and is in charge of a legislative petition that would close what she sees as a loophole in the state law.

Costello said that the law was written for homeowners to install solar, and as it stands now solar developers can refuse to pay taxes on arrays on private property. Yet arrays on town land are taxable.

Costello said that the town has been lucky with the four commercial developments that are either planned or installed in town.Their developers were reputable and signed payment agreements with the town. However, she worries that the town may not be so lucky with future developers.

Her petition would “make solar taxable in Mattapoisett to protect taxpayers from frivolous litigation,” Costello said.

Representative Bill Strauss is sponsoring legislation to close that loophole. But Costello does not know when it will go before the state legislature.

The town’s Zoning Board of Appeals is currently facing litigation from Next Grid, Inc. LLC for a solar permit they denied.

Rochester and Marion have solar bylaws that outline the way that the towns would like to see solar power used.

Marion does not currently have any town solar projects, but awarded a contract to DSD Solar Energy for a solar array on the town landfill. The array will save the town money and because Marion is a green community the town is encouraged to use clean energy, such as solar.

The proposed array could produce up to 1,940,900 kilowatt hours annually. Using Environmental Protection Agency numbers,  that much renewable energy could power 232 homes for one year.

The town has two options for how it uses that power. Either the company will sell the power elsewhere, and the town will only benefit from the lease. Or the town can enter into a community solar agreement, which would allow the power to be sold to the town and not to the grid.

The town is now in contract negotiations with the solar energy company, Town Administrator Jay McGrail said.

The Town Administrator said working out the interconnection fee and availability with Eversource could be a hurdle for the project down the road.

Beyond municipal solar efforts, residents have jumped on board with the trend. Rochester residents have pulled permits for 162 solar panels since 2013, and Marion residents have pulled permits for 164 panels since 2012. Mattapoisett did not provide complete data for a total count.