County considering solar array to cut energy costs

LACONIA — Belknap County is exploring options to install a large solar array adjacent to its complex. If approved by the county delegation and commissioners, the array will be built using American Rescue Plan Act funds, 40% of which will be repaid by the Inflation Reduction Act upon completion of the project. The proposed array also has the potential to generate funds for the county.

“We've got numbers somewhere between $3 and $3.7 million,” said Jon Bossey, facilities director. “It wouldn't be Belknap County taxpayer-funded.”

Bossey shared two pitches from two different companies, Novitium Energy and Revision Energy, vying for the job. Both plans showed an array of panels to be built in an empty field just west of the county complex.

“This is all long grass back there, and they mow it two or three times a year just to keep it knocked down,” Bossey said.

Once built, the array wouldn't directly power the complex. Instead, the array would generate electricity to be sold back to the grid, ideally covering the complex's energy bills and possibly earning a profit.

“Basically everything we produce gets sold and placed on the grid,” Bossey explained.

“What it does is it shows up as a non-billable credit on our bills. So basically we're generating power and we're selling it out onto the open grid. Whatever that generates, we either don't pay any electricity because it's supposed to be 100% [of what we use]. If we generate more than we use, then we get money.”

According to Bossey, the electric bill for the complex generally reaches $25,000 a month.

“Based off those numbers you'll see in there, one predicted a 10.5-year payback,” Bossey said.

“Another one said 80-year payback. So after eight or 10 years, basically what we get for a system, it will be 100% money in return.”

County Commission Chair Peter Spanos called the project “intriguing.”

“The facility manager is speaking with different vendors. We're getting some reasonably hard numbers, such as what are maintenance costs, the longevity of the panels, the charger,” Spanos said. “The glass, we were told the shelf life is 20 to 25 years generally without maintenance.”

According to Bossey, the panels come with some strong warranties.

“All the panels have manufacturer warranties, which is basically 20 to 25 years,” Bossey said.

“They also have what's called a performance warranty, which basically says they will not degrade 1.37% per year in 10 years, so over 10 years they shouldn't have lost anymore than 14% deficiency.”

Essentially, if any panels break, have defects, or lose efficiency too quickly, they will be replaced by the manufacturer.

If the project is approved, Bossey estimated it would take two to three years to complete. Spanos thinks the project will be evaluated in early March, once the county's budget has been approved by the delegation.

“It's really a no-brainer,” Bossey asserted, adding that he was confident the array will be approved. “It's really a great project.”