Center Harbor, Belmont looking toward solar power to ease electricity burdens

CENTER HARBOR — A $400,000 project to construct a ground-mounted solar array which would power the municipal building is coming to a vote at Town Meeting on Wednesday night at the Cary Mead Meeting Room.

“It’s a project that the energy committee worked with the selectmen on,” energy committee member Bernie Volz said Monday. 

The solar array would connect to the municipal building and offset its electrical costs. The facility could generate more energy than Center Harbor used throughout the entirety of 2023, Volz said. 

The anticipated cost of the project is $386,000 and the warrant article adds another $14,000 for unanticipated or contingent costs of the project. 

"Approximately $125,000 will be raised through taxes, which works out to about $0.16 for a $1,000 of valuation,” Volz said. “In future years we will be saving money and hopefully the tax will go down.”

The city could reduce needed taxes by $800,000 over the next 30 years, he noted. 

New Hampshire Electric Co-Op offers a metering program where whatever energy is produced locally, the town would be able to avoid purchasing from the electric company. Surplus energy would be sold back to the co-op at $0.70 on the dollar, Volz explained.

Community members have expressed mixed opinions regarding the development. Over three public hearings, several individuals expressed their support for the project but more expressed opposition, he said.

Those who oppose the construction of the photovoltaic array said it will be an eyesore and could contribute to weakening the charm of the town.

“A few people have also raised the issue that the village district has sort of a historical character to it,” he said, adding that the array would not technically be located within the district and leftover funds could be used to plant shrubbery to mask the presence of the array. 

A 2009 assessment conducted by the Jordan Institute suggested a solar array would benefit the town. Volz said now is the right time to get it done because the cost of building such facilities has decreased throughout the years and there are state and federal incentives, such as provisions within the Inflation Reduction Act, which help fund renewable energy projects. 

“We’d hope to get it online by the end of the calendar year,” Volz said. “We believe that the cost to do this array has dropped substantially over the years, the cost of doing solar has gone down.”

Volz hopes the people of Center Harbor will support the warrant article.

“It obviously saves the town on electricity costs over the next 30 to 35 years,” he said. 

The town of Belmont is also moving forward with a similar project of its own. 

Town Planner Karen Santoro said a project to construct a solar array at the site of an old gravel bank near the elementary school was approved in January.

“It’s a large ground-mount solar facility,” she said. 

The company investing in the facility is New Hampshire Solar Parent, registered in the U.S. Virgin Islands and owned by Christian Loranger of Massachusetts. Loranger has solar projects in development in 10 Granite State cities and towns including Gilford, Tilton and Sandwich.

“We have 10 projects that we’re doing throughout New Hampshire,” Loranger said last week. “Our goal is to bring some solar to the state.”

Belmont is home to the first project.

The project will commence after all town and state permitting is complete, Loranger said. Santoro noted the next step in the process is for the company to submit a copy of the inspection schedule and apply for building permits. 

The energy from the facility will be stored in batteries which are to be placed in solid casing atop a concrete pad. The fire department will have access to the batteries and be trained on how to cut power to the facility if something goes awry.

Excess energy produced at the facility will be sold back to the grid, Santoro said. 

“Once I receive the full permitting, I will start construction immediately,” Loranger said, noting these sort of projects generally take between three and four months to complete.

Loranger said the project will help alleviate financial strains on Belmont down the road by reducing the amount of power the town needs to purchase from the grid. 

“I think of it as having a backup generator right there in your own town,” he said. “We’re excited to be up in New Hampshire.”

Project manager Sean Tobey, a  civil engineer at Boyle-Tanner, works hand-in-glove with Loranger on solar projects in New Hampshire.

“We do all of the engineering work for Christian [Loranger]’s team,” he said in an interview. 

The project will consist of solar panels mounted in place and fixed to the ground. The energy captured from the sun is sent to an electrical transformer which will be on a pole next to the roadside, similar to such arrangements found at anybody’s home, he said.

The energy provider in Belmont is Eversource.

“I’ve done a ton of these throughout New England and across the country,” Tobey said. “But these are unique for New Hampshire.”

The large solar facility, which will be situated on more than 8 acres on an 11-acre parcel at 985 Laconia Road, is substantial enough to fully charge its batteries using only half of the array. 

According to Tobey, the array will be able to produce enough electricity to power 500 to 600 households. 

Representatives of Boyle-Tanner will train Belmont firefighters on how to shut the facility down in an emergency, characterizing the risk as benign. 

“It’s sizable,” he said. “Overall, these solar fields, now the technology is so refined.”