County Hears NREL SAM Analysis; consultants seek more data before final solar recommendations

Stratford County commissioners on Monday met with staff from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to review an early techno‑economic simulation of a proposed county solar project and to discuss next steps. The lab said the analysis is a proof of concept run in NREL’s System Advisor Model (SAM) and that staff must provide additional technical and financial details before NREL can deliver final, actionable recommendations.

The discussion matters because NREL’s work, completed through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) technical assistance voucher, will shape whether the county issues a request for proposals, pursues public ownership or structures a private‑sector deal that relies on tax equity. Commissioners repeatedly cited an approaching federal tax‑incentive deadline as a reason to move quickly.

Emily, a NREL project lead, told the commission, “NREL is completing a techno economic analysis to model the possible energy resilience intervention configurations with a strong focus on solar for Stratford County.” She said NREL and county staff have populated most model inputs from a March 2022 solar feasibility review but are using default SAM values for missing fields and need specific local answers on ownership, financing, incentives and electricity rates.

NREL modeler Ambari Shnag described the current work as…