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Energy committee cleared to explore solar field at 560 Breakfast Hill Road
Summary
The Select Board on April 7 authorized the Energy Committee to meet with solar developers to study a potential solar field on 560 Breakfast Hill Road and approved a $300 Clean Energy New Hampshire municipal membership for technical support.
Alice Passer, a member of the town Energy Committee, asked the Greenland Select Board for permission to contact solar developers to study a possible town solar field on 560 Breakfast Hill Road and to pursue a municipal membership in Clean Energy New Hampshire.
Passer told the board the committee sees two broad options: lease the town parcel to a developer for discounted power and lease revenue, or have the town buy the field outright — a purchase that could require a bond or warrant article. "There are two general possibilities for a town solar field," she said. "One would be that we would lease the land to a solar developer ... The other possibility would be ... buying a solar field." She also suggested including battery storage to optimize when the town uses or returns power to the grid.
Board members emphasized caution around site constraints and regulatory oversight. Several members asked whether the parcel — described as wooded with wetlands and some ledge, adjacent to the former landfill — could be affected by EPA or Superfund requirements. The chair said the board’s first step should be to check federal and state oversight and then allow developers to survey the site.
The board voted to allow the Energy Committee to meet with solar developers and visit the parcel to obtain site assessments; members noted the exploratory visits would cost the town nothing. The board also voted to authorize the town administrator to purchase a municipal membership in Clean Energy New Hampshire at $300 per year to obtain expert consultation and grant support.
Passer said developers could answer technical questions such as "how many houses worth of electricity" the field might produce and what maintenance would be required. The board directed the committee to report findings back to the Select Board before any binding commitments or financial decisions.
Next steps: the Energy Committee will arrange developer site visits and report back; the town administrator will complete the Clean Energy New Hampshire membership.
