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Power Market urges Hudson to authorize mayor to sign community solar outreach agreement
Summary
Power Market director Brad Tito presented a state‑regulated, voluntary community solar outreach program that would let Hudson residents enroll for utility bill credits through National Grid; the city’s role would be limited to authorizing an agreement and reviewing outreach materials.
Brad Tito, director of community energy at Power Market, told the Hudson Common Council on April 20 that his company wants to run a voluntary, state‑regulated community solar outreach campaign for city residents that would deliver bill credits through National Grid.
"What we're proposing is a straightforward standalone community solar outreach effort for Hudson residents," Tito said, describing the program as voluntary and handled by Power Market. He said residents who enroll would see credits applied to their National Grid bills and could opt out at any time. "There's no financial risk whatsoever. We're offering guaranteed savings," he said, adding the city would have no budgetary cost and minimal staff involvement.
Tito said Power Market would manage outreach, enrollment and customer support, prepare and pay for a mayoral mailing if the city agreed, and operate through projects already built within National Grid territory rather than installing panels in Hudson. He estimated typical municipal participation at 2–6 percent of households, which would translate to roughly 100 participants in Hudson, and said enrolled residents could save up to about 10 percent on electricity.
Some council members pressed for clarity about the city's role. A council member asked whether the program would benefit customers who already have rooftop solar; Tito answered that New York state rules allow only one form of distributed solar crediting at a time, so rooftop owners are ineligible. Another council member said the arrangement "seems primarily a commercial transaction between them and individual customers," and asked what the council would be authorizing.
Council President Morris and staff said the authorization sought is limited: the council would authorize the mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with Power Market and permit the city to review outreach materials and, if desired, allow the use of city letterhead for a promotional mailing. No budget appropriation was requested for city operations, and the company said it would cover postage and outreach costs.
Tito said he would circulate the memorandum and related materials; council members asked staff to distribute the MOU to new members and indicated they might vote on authorization at the next meeting.
Next steps: Power Market will send the MOU and outreach materials to the city; the council may vote to authorize the mayor to sign the agreement at the next meeting.
