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Town reports progress on solar installations and EV chargers; $1 million solar spending limit to go to town meeting
Summary
Town staff said solar panels on the DPW building are nearly ready for interconnection pending Eversource transformer work, Fairbank PPA review remains with legal, and EV charger pre‑construction is being scheduled. A warrant article will keep a $1 million spending limit for the town's solar account.
Town facilities staff reported near‑completion of several energy projects and said the town will seek a spending authorization for continued solar work at the upcoming May town meeting.
Sandra, the facilities director, said installation of solar panels on the Department of Public Works building appears finished and the town expects to contact Eversource within one to two weeks to begin interconnection. She said Eversource needs to upgrade a transformer as part of its scope and the interconnection timeline depends on the utility; if Eversource is ready, the town could be interconnected in about six weeks.
Sandra said the Fairbank Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is still under legal review and staff expect that review to follow the same template as prior projects. Town staff are also scheduling pre‑construction meetings with Guardian Energy for EV chargers at municipal facilities; scheduling has slipped because of repeated snowstorms but a pre‑construction visit was expected in the coming week with the town wiring inspector, Charlie Finn.
Sandra said the town submitted a warrant article to keep the solar spending authorization at $1,000,000 for the May town meeting. Existing public chargers remain functional while staff await replacement hardware at other sites.
Committee members also asked about the transfer station and the single‑hauler idea; staff said that effort remains on the workplan and that they will follow up with the new DPW director to determine whether a transfer station accounting assessment and next steps are required.
