Planning board approves 92.4 kW Pine Gate Cooperative community solar array with development-agreement condition

The Plymouth Planning Board accepted and approved a site-plan review application for a 92.4-kilowatt accessory community solar array serving the Pine Gate Cooperative mobile home park at 52 Beech Hill Road.

Carlson Swafford of the Energy Institute at Vermont Law and Graduate School presented the plan for Pine Gate Cooperative and said the array will be community-owned and provide credits or payments that benefit cooperative members. He told the board the array will be transferred to Pine Gate Cooperative after energization and that operations and maintenance are built into the cooperative model. Swafford said the project was selected to receive $400,000 from a New Hampshire program for low- and moderate-income residential community solar projects.

Technical details were reviewed on the record. The applicant described the array as 92.4 kilowatts and said the steel racking will be hot-dip galvanized rather than painted. Barrington Power’s project manager, Ted Vanzant, said the layout will be similar to previously built community arrays in the region and that panels will be tucked in behind existing trees where possible. The project team noted there are existing utility easements along Beech Hill Road; the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, listed on the plan, will be party to the interconnection process.

Departmental review produced no outstanding objections, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment had already granted a special exception for accessory structures in excess of three and for an eight-foot fence where the ordinance would otherwise limit fence height. During the Planning Board discussion the applicant noted the site will require tree clearing in places but that a screen of trees will be retained between the road and the array where feasible.

A member of the public from Beech Hill Road asked about the array’s size; the applicant described it as roughly one-third to one-half the size of the airport array previously installed for the town and confirmed construction intends to begin in May with completion target in October, subject to equipment lead times and permitting. The applicant said construction traffic will be limited to a small number of pickup trucks for a few weeks; long-term maintenance traffic is expected to be light.

The board approved the site-plan application with two conditions: the applicant shall execute a development agreement with the town capturing roles and responsibilities, and the applicant shall obtain all required permits, including building permits and any required utility approvals, before construction begins. The board also asked for an as-built submission once construction is complete so town staff can confirm that the installed drainage and site elements match the approved plan.

Swafford told the board the array will provide a net financial benefit to Pine Gate Cooperative members: the cooperative will sell generation into the grid under the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative interconnection and distribution arrangement, and the proceeds will be allocated to the cooperative members who opt into the program.

With those conditions the board moved to approve and then voted in favor, allowing the project to move toward permitting and construction this season.